Spray Drying and Encapsulation of Pharmaceuticals and Phytopharmaceuticals

Dear Colleagues,

The spray drying and encapsulation of pharmaceuticals and phytopharmaceuticals are widely used in the pharmaceutical sector for the powder production and manufacture of innovative delivery systems. Important applications of spray drying in pharmaceutical and herbal technology include the production of powders with high flowability and with direct compression capability; the development of innovative drug delivery systems, nano- and microcapsules loaded with active pharmaceutical and phytopharmaceutical ingredients (e.g., essential oils, phytochemicals and plant extracts); the production of inhalable powders for pulmonary drug delivery; the manufacture of redispersible powders, proliposomes, and molecular inclusion complexes; enhancement of the bioavailability and solubility of poorly soluble pharmaceuticals and phytochemicals; and the drying of thermosensitive pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals.

Spray drying exhibits several advantages over other drying techniques, such as the capability of continuous production, applications for small- and large-scale production, and of modulation of the physicochemical product properties (e.g., moisture content, water activity, wettability, solubility, redispersion capacity, powder size, density). Usually, fine powders are produced, which may require further post-processing. Spray cooling or spray congealing is a process with certain similarity to spray drying, but in this specific case the feed is atomized in the melted state and a low-temperature gas is introduced to the system, promoting the particles’ solidification.

Therefore, we invite research groups working with the basic and applied themes related to the "Spray Drying of Pharmaceuticals and Phytopharmaceuticals" to contribute to this Special Issue of Pharmaceutics. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the production of direct compression powders, drying of thermosensitive products, encapsulation of drugs and herbal products, production of inhalable powders, improvement of bioavailability and solubility, and enhancement of product shelf-life.

In advance, we thank the authors who take time in their busy schedules to contribute to this Special Issue of Pharmaceutics.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Wanderley Pereira Oliveira
Dr. Diego Francisco Cortés-Rojas
Prof. Dr. Tales Alexandre Costa-Silva
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceutics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.