Colonic Drug Delivery Systems as Multiunit Potential

Colonic drug delivery systems have earned significant attention as promising systems for treating various diseases such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pancreatitis, and colonic cancer. These systems are developed to deliver drugs specifically to the colon, offering benefits like localized treatment, minimized systemic side effects, improved patient adherence, and enhanced oral delivery of therapeutics susceptible to degradation in the upper gastrointestinal tract. The field of colonic drug delivery is burgeoning, necessitating meticulous formulation development to address challenges posed by the distinct physiological environment of the colon. Stressing the pivotal role of design in the success of new pharmaceuticals, this chapter presents a contemporary insight into the crucial parameters essential for the effective design and advancement of colonic drug delivery systems. It delves into significant physiological factors affecting drug properties in the colon, along with outlining formulated colonic drug delivery strategies. Furthermore, it discusses the effective preclinical evaluations, including in vitro, in vivo, and in silico methods.