Abstract
In the last decade, there has been a mounting concern in lipid-based formulations to deliver water-soluble drugs. Lipid-based drug delivery systems are one of the budding and promising technologies designed to tackle the poor bioavailability problems. This chapter stresses the different mechanisms of lipophilic drug absorption along with its advantages and limitations. It points out the different mechanisms of how lipid-based excipients and the different formulations interact with the absorption process. This review provides a comprehensive summary about the lipid formulation classification scheme (LFCS), a guide for the selection of appropriate formulation and commonly used excipients for lipid-based formulations, along with the important factors to be considered in formulation design and excipient selection. This review also focuses on the formulation of solid lipid-based formulations, important evaluation aspects, and commercial formulations available for the purpose.