Long Acting Drug Delivery Formulations

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Pharmacy and Formulation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2025 | Viewed by 644

Special Issue Editor


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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Long-acting drug delivery formulations are specialized pharmaceutical systems designed to release active drug compounds gradually over an extended period, ranging from weeks to months or even years, depending on the formulation. The goal is to maintain therapeutic drug levels in the body with fewer doses, enhancing patient compliance and therapeutic outcomes. These formulations reduce the need for frequent dosing by controlling the release rate of the drug and often employ advanced drug delivery technologies such as biodegradable polymers, microspheres, liposomes, or implants.

Their benefits include the following:

  1. Improved patient adherence by reducing the dosing frequency.
  2. Steady-state drug levels, minimizing the peaks and troughs associated with frequent dosing.
  3. Reduced side effects due to consistent drug release.
  4. Targeted delivery to specific tissues in some formulations, enhancing efficacy and minimizing off-target effects.

These formulations are widely used in treating chronic conditions, where long-term drug administration is necessary, such as in hormonal therapies, psychiatric medications, or pain management.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Thierry Vandamme
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • improvement in patient adherence
  • steady state
  • drug bioavailability
  • reduced side effect
  • targeted delivery
  • long acting
  • sustained release
  • prolonged release
  • pulse release
  • compliance

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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46 pages, 2636 KiB  
Review
Unveiling the Future: Opportunities in Long-Acting Injectable Drug Development for Veterinary Care
by HariPriya Koppisetti, Sadikalmahdi Abdella, Deepa D. Nakmode, Fatima Abid, Franklin Afinjuomo, Sangseo Kim, Yunmei Song and Sanjay Garg
Pharmaceutics 2025, 17(5), 626; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17050626 - 8 May 2025
Viewed by 316
Abstract
Long-acting injectable (LAI) formulations have revolutionized veterinary pharmaceuticals by improving patient compliance, minimizing dosage frequency, and improving therapeutic efficacy. These formulations utilize advanced drug delivery technologies, including microspheres, liposomes, oil solutions/suspensions, in situ-forming gels, and implants to achieve extended drug release. Biodegradable polymers [...] Read more.
Long-acting injectable (LAI) formulations have revolutionized veterinary pharmaceuticals by improving patient compliance, minimizing dosage frequency, and improving therapeutic efficacy. These formulations utilize advanced drug delivery technologies, including microspheres, liposomes, oil solutions/suspensions, in situ-forming gels, and implants to achieve extended drug release. Biodegradable polymers such as poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), and polycaprolactone (PCL) have been approved by the USFDA and are widely employed in the development of various LAIs, offering controlled drug release and minimizing the side effects. Various classes of veterinary medicines, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antibiotics, and reproductive hormones, have been successfully formulated as LAIs. Some remarkable LAI products, such as ProHeart® (moxidectin), Excede® (ceftiofur), and POSILACTM (recombinant bovine somatotropin), show clinical relevance and commercial success. This review provides comprehensive information on the formulation strategies currently being used and the emerging technologies in LAIs for veterinary purposes. Additionally, challenges in characterization, in vitro testing, in vitro in vivo correlation (IVIVC), and safety concerns regarding biocompatibility are discussed, along with the prospects for next-generation LAIs. Continued advancement in the field of LAI in veterinary medicine is essential for improving animal health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Long Acting Drug Delivery Formulations)
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