Mechanistic studies and modeling of self-emulsifying drug delivery systems for the oral delivery of hydrophobic compounds

• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/d20002833

The oral route for drug delivery is not possible for approximately 50% of currently marketed drug compounds due to low solubility in water. Lipid based drug delivery systems, and in particular self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS), show great potential for enhancing oral bioavailability, as well as offering the advantage of minimal processing and inherent stability, but have not been broadly applied, largely due to lack of general formulation guidance and lack of knowledge of how these systems function to enhance bioavailability. It is hypothesized that a systems-based model incorporating key processes involved in oral absorption will enable prediction of the fate of compounds co- administered with self-emulsifying drug delivery systems.