ABSTRACT
The oral route of delivery is the most desirable route for administration of drugs intended to exert a systemic effect due to patient acceptance, convenience, and relatively simple manufacturing processes (1). However, there are some challenges in using this route, as often the requirements for systemic activity of a drug are dependent on various biopharmaceutical factors. The ideal time over which drug should be released from a dosage form extends over 24 h in relation to a relatively short gastro-intestinal transit time of between 4 and 5 hours and in some cases up to between 8 and 10 hours and which may have an impact on bioavailability. In addition, it is important to control the rate of dissolution of a drug in relation to the short residence time of a delivery system in the stomach and small intestine and highly variable and unpredictable gastric emptying rates when attempting to achieve efficient and effective oral drug therapy.
