Transdermal Pathways for Blood Pressure Control: A New Vision for Hypertension Management

Hypertension continues to challenge global healthcare, especially because many patients depend on daily oral medications that often suffer from inconsistent absorption, first-pass metabolism, and poor long-term adherence.These limitations have encouraged researches to search for more dependable, patient-friendly drug delivery.Transdermal drug delivery systems (TDDS) have emerged as a promising option, using the skin as a controlled route for sustained and predictable drug release.This review discusses the growing interest in TDDS for antihypertensive therapy.It outlines the limitations of oral administration and highlights the key physicochemical properties such as molecular weight, lipophilicity, and solubility that influence a drug's ability to permeate the skin.Drug like clonidine, metoprolol, and losartan serves as practical examples of molecules reformulated into patch-based systems.The design of transdermal patches including the drug matrix or reservoir, adhesive components, backing layers, and permeation enhancers is summarized along with essential evaluation methods.The review also touches on marketed patches and recent advancements, emphasizing TDDS as a promising strategy for more consistent and convenient blood pressure management.