Locally-Acting Dosage Forms

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026

Special Issue Editor

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Interests: nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems; long acting parenterals; topical dosage forms; in vitro dissolution testing; in vitro and in vivo correlation; quality control
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Locally acting dosage forms play a pivotal role in delivering therapeutic agents directly to the site of action, minimizing systemic exposure and associated adverse effects while enhancing treatment efficacy and patient compliance. Recent advances in formulation science, materials engineering, and biopharmaceutics have expanded the potential of locally acting systems across diverse administration routes, including dermal, ocular, pulmonary, nasal, rectal, and vaginal. These locally acting systems are designed to overcome physiological barriers, achieve site-specific retention, and provide controlled drug release. Emerging formulation strategies, such as microneedles, 3D-printed dosage forms, or mucoadhesive systems, enable tailored local drug delivery and improved therapeutic outcomes for both small and large molecules. Conversely, progress in in vitro performance testing, such as in vitro drug permeation, in vitro–in vivo correction, and regulatory science continues to refine our understanding of bioavailability and bioequivalence for locally acting dosage forms.

This Special Issue highlights recent innovations, methodologies, preclinical and clinical studies related to the design, characterization, and evaluation of various locally acting dosage forms.

Dr. Jie Shen
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • locally acting dosage form
  • drug delivery
  • local delivery
  • semi-solid formulations
  • mucoadhesion
  • permeation
  • controlled release
  • bioequivalence assessment

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Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
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