• Question: Can you explain what drug delivery is?

    Asked by jbromham to Alex on 17 Jun 2014.
    • Photo: Alex Lyness

      Alex Lyness answered on 17 Jun 2014:

      Hey jbromham,

      I can indeed.

      The majority of drugs worldwide are taken as tablets (70+%), however, sometimes drugs cannot be taken this way as 1) the digestive system breaks them down before they can work, 2) they can cause side-effects or 3) the stomach might not be a good place to deliver them in the first place.

      The way that a drug enters the body to achieve the required e ffect is known as the ‘route of administration’ or drug delivery route.

      There are three main types;

      Enteral (Think: Enter, as in enters via the mouth)
      Topical (Think: Placed on, as in placed on the skin or breathed in and on to the surface of the lungs)
      Parenteral (Think: Through, as in injected through the skin)

      For all the above methods there are many different devices that can be used to get drugs into the body. Do you think you can name any?

Comments

  • Photo: lollybasu

    lollybasu commented on :

    What do you think the most effective method of drug delivery is?

  • Photo: Alex

    Alex commented on :

    Hey lollybasu,

    The most effective can mean a lot of different things;

    If you want the drug to work the quickest… inject it into a vein (intravenous delivery).

    If you want to treat the lungs… an inhaler is best (pulmonary delivery).

    If you need to treat the eye… an intra-ocular injection is best.

    If you want it to work over a long period of time… inject it into fat (subcutaneous delivery) or leave it in a patch on the skin (transdermal).

    If you want to go straight to the brain… a nasal spray is good at getting it through the blood/brain barrier quickly.

    That’s why we have lots of different routes, delivery methods and devices all to make sure the treatment is delivered in the most effective way.