Recent Trends in Challenges and Opportunities in Transdermal Drug Delivery System

Transdermal delivery constitutes one of the most important routes for new drug delivery system. Transdermal delivery of drugs offers several advantages over conventional delivery methods including oral and injection methods. Transdermal delivery that traditionally uses a patch containing drug substance pressed on to the skin, is noninvasive, convenient and painless, and avoid gastrointestinal toxicity (e.g. peptic ulcer disease) and the therapeutic first pass metabolism. Introduction Transdermal drug delivery is hardly an old technology, since 1800’s and the technology is no longer just adhesive patches. Due to recent advances in technology and the ability to apply the drug to the site of action without rupturing the skin membrane, transdermal route is becoming a widely accepted route of drug administration. Over the last two decades more than 35 Transdermal patch products have been approved in US. In the 21st century, the pharmaceutical industry is caught between the downward pressure on prices and the increasing cost of successful drug discovery and development. The average cost and time for the development of a new chemical entity are much higher (approximately $500 million and 10–12 years) than those required to develop a novel drug delivery system (NDDS) ($20–50 million and3–4 years).