COCRYSTALS: A PROMISING STRATEGY IN PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES

Pharmaceutical cocrystals have emerged as a useful strategy to improve the aqueous solubility of poorly water soluble drugs by aiming to enhance their oral absorption and bioavailability. Aqueous cocrystal solubility can be orders of magnitude higher than that of the constituent drug and this solubility advantage can be fine-tuned based on environmental conditions such as pH and the presence of drug solubilizing agents. This review presents a brief overview of pharmaceutical cocrystals regarding cocrystal design, obtainment methods, with particular focus on cocrystal solubility, and the solubility modulation by solution phase chemistry.