Drug Delivery: Polymers in the Development of Controlled Release Systems

Abstract

This chapter comprises an overview of the basic elements that one must take into account when developing a new drug delivery system. It begins with an outline of traditional methods to deliver drugs, relating these to important considerations that must be taken into account when developing a drug delivery system, including the importance of controlling the drug concentration and location, and the properties of the device and the therapeutic. This chapter then continues by describing various types of polymeric delivery systems, including implants, hydrogels, and nanoparticles, microgels, and micelle nanomedicines. This chapter then concludes with a brief perspective on the potential of nanomedicine drug delivery systems; a much more thorough perspective can be found in a follow-up chapter ``Drug Delivery: Localized and Systemic Therapeutic Strategies with Polymer Systems.''