Preface

      Our intent in writing Nanopharmaceutical Advanced Delivery Systems was to provide a systematic understanding of various novel drug delivery systems and their preparation, characterization and impressive range of applications. These novel drug delivery systems demand a wide range of detailed knowledge of various drug delivery systems and their composition. Moreover, it is important to understand the properties of the various constituents of a nanoformulation that determine the preparative methods of the delivery systems and broadly ensure their properties. With this in mind, this book covers a wide range of pharmaceutical topics required to appropriately perform and evaluate the biological and biopharmaceutical impact of nanopharmaceuticals in living systems.

      Historically, there have been many conventional dosage forms available on the market for the treatment of various diseases that are administered in particular doses at particular frequency. The biggest disadvantage of these dosage forms is the increased chance of missing a dose of short half-life drugs because they need to be frequently administered. The need for novel drug delivery systems began with the realization that new, better and safer drugs with longer half-lives have a large therapeutic index. Since conventional pharmaceutical dosage forms are incapable of controlling the rate of drug delivery to the target site, there is also an unnecessary distribution of the drug in non-target sites of the body. This is the main reason why conventional dosage forms need to be given in higher therapeutic doses, which in turn is responsible for certain severe adverse effects during or after treatment. Novel drug delivery systems play a very significant role in addressing this problem as they maintain the concentration of the drug in the therapeutic range for a longer period of time and are also capable of delivering the drug to the required site. Therefore, to overcome the shortcomings of conventional dosage forms, sustained and controlled-release dosage forms have come into existence.

The aim of this book is to provide a single volume which includes a detailed description of various delivery systems, their principles and how they are used for the treatment of specific diseases. The book is divided into four sections. The first section discusses the importance of novel drug delivery systems whereas the second section presents a detailed overview of the most advanced drug delivery systems such as microbubbles, dendrimers, lipid-based nanoparticles, nanofibers, microemulsions, etc. This section describes the major principles and techniques involved in the preparation of drug delivery systems in great detail and provides recently updated coverage of the important principles involved in the underlying science behind these therapeutic delivery systems. In this section, renowned authors focus on providing complete insight into the novel delivery systems along with their practical applications in the fields of health, medicine and therapeutics. The third section mainly elaborates on the current evocative treatments of diverse diseases like cancer, topical diseases, tuberculosis, etc. Finally, the fourth section of the book provides a brief informative description of the regulatory aspects of novel drug delivery systems that are followed in various countries.

      This book was designed for both dedicated scientists and those new to scientific research who work in the fields of health and medicine. The fresh insights in this book will enhance the knowledge of the innovative young minds of those in the field by delivering detailed informative descriptions of the latest novel modern pharmaceutical dosage forms and drug delivery systems, which will in turn be a benefit to society.

       Vivek Dave Srija Sur Nikita Gupta