The mathematics of drug delivery

Abstract

There are a variety of devices for the delivery of pharmaceutical substances, tablets of course being the most prominent. Pharmaceutical scientists and physicians have formulated goals, such as release of a drug in a controlled fashion over an extended period of time or the targeted delivery of a drug to a specific site in a patient’s body. Since experiments with these delivery devices can be costly and sometimes only partially conclusive, mathematical modeling can play a role in understanding the mechanisms behind experimental release profiles and in developing delivery systems. Here we review mathematical models for drug delivery by matrix tablets and liposomes.