Nano Cocrystals: Crystal Engineering from a Nanotechnological Perspective

Low aqueous solubility and poor bioavailability are the major hurdles during drug development for the oral route. A large number of the newly discovered drug molecules fall under the BCS II class and have solubility related issues and hence pose low oral bioavailability, which, in turn, render them non-suitable candidates for further development. A multitude of solubility enhancement approaches are available. Notable among them are salt formation, solid dispersions, inclusion complexes, cocrystallization, nanonization, etc. Cocrystallization and nanonization are among the most widely used approaches in the pharmaceutical field that offer multiple enhancements to the active pharmaceutical ingredients. This review endeavours to cover the recent work, important findings, advantages offered by nano-sized cocrystals, future aspects and challenges in the implementation of this newer approach in pharmaceutical research and development.