Introduction: After more than four decades of intense research, oral controlled drug delivery systems (DDSs) still represent a topic of major interest for pharmaceutical scientist and formulators. This can be explained in part by considering the economic value of oral DDSs whose market accounts for more than half of the overall drug delivery market. Polymeric systems based on drug-polymer non-covalent interaction represent a limited, but growing part of the field. Despite the large amount of literature and published reviews covering specific aspects, there is still need for a review of the relevant literature providing a general picture of the topic.
Areas covered: The present review aims at presenting the latest findings in drug-polymer and interpolymer non-covalent interactions in oral controlled delivery while providing a specific perspective and a critical point of view, particularly on the tools and methods used for the study of these DDSs. Four main sections are considered: i) ionic interactions between drugs and polymers; ii) interpolymer complexes; iii) hydrogen bond; and iv) hydrophobic interactions.
Expert opinion: The largest part of the scientific literature deals with systems based on drug-polymer ionic interactions while hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction though, very promising, are more difficult to exploit, and therefore less studied. An accurate and exhaustive representation of the specific role of the chemical functions in establishing predictable interactions between drug and polymers is still required.
Keywords: Eudragit; alginate; carrageenan; chitosan; controlled release; drug–polymer interaction; interpolymer complex; oral delivery; polyelectrolyte complex.