Progress in the transdermal delivery of antimigraine drugs

Most antimigraine drugs are taken orally but the oral route of drug administration has several limitations including pre-systemic metabolism which leads to low bioavailability. Transdermal route provides an alternative method of drug delivery capable of circumventing certain limitations of oral drug ingestion. But there are also obstacles associated with this route of drug administration. The stratum corneum prevents the entry of chemicals (including drugs) through the skin into the body. To open the transdermal route for a broader range of medications (macromolecules, hydrophobic drugs, etc.), several chemical and physical techniques to overcome the natural low skin permeability are being investigated. Some of the techniques used for the delivery of antimigraine drugs include microneedles, iontophoresis, chemical penetration enhancers, etc. This review discusses the use of these enhancement technologies for the delivery of antimigraine drugs.