Continuous Nanostructures for the Controlled Release of Drugs

The annual world wide market for controlled releaseof polymer systems which extends beyond drug deliveryis now estimated to $60 billion and these systems are used by over 100 million people each year. It was estimated that drug deliverywill play a pivotal role in approximately 40% of all pharmaceutical sales in near future. Novel methods of drug deliverywill not only result in more effective and efficacious treatments but also generates new niche marketsto provide greater intellectual property protection to already existing drug formulations. Recently, biodegradable electrospun polymer nanofibrous substrate as drug carrierseems to be a promising method for delivering anticancer drugs, especially in postoperative local chemotherapy. Alternatively drug release can be triggered by the environment or other external events such as changes in pH, temperature, or the presence of analyte such as glucose. In general, controlled releaseof polymer systems delivering drugs in the optimum dosage for long periods is to increase the efficacy of drug, reducing patient compliance. Recent research for the use of nanotechnology (nanoparticle and nanofibers) in drug deliverysuggests that the technology might solve problems in the areas such as controlled release, various topical administration, gut absorption and targeted systemic delivery. This review article described the applications of polymer nanoparticles and nanofibers for loading potential drugs for the controlled releaseto target incurable diseases.