Fundamentals of Drug Delivery

This chapter serves as the foundation for all subsequent chapters, defining the necessary terminology related to drug delivery and pharmaceutics. Pharmacology, the science of drugs, is composed of two primary branches, pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetic. The route by which drugs are administered can have a profound impact on the pharmacokinetic properties. The chapter summarizes the most explored routes of drug administration. Controlled drug delivery systems, also referred to as prolonged and sustained release systems, aim to minimize dosing frequency by maintaining the local and/or systemic concentrations of drugs for extended periods of time. Bioavailability refers to the rate and extent to which a drug has reached the systemic circulation for delivery to the site of action. Mass transfer describes the tendency of a component in a mixture to move from a region of high concentration to an area of low concentration.