Semi-Solid And Semi-Liquid Dosage Forms: What To Know

Interest in semi-solid dosage (SSD) forms has been on the rise in recent years and is projected to continue through the next decade. In addition to the novel SSD forms in the clinical pipeline, there is also a market for reformulating existing medications to increase their ease of use.

SSD forms offer a number of advantages as they are easy to administer – which leads to increased compliance – and result in reduced side effects. The controlled release delivery system used in some SSD forms can also help guarantee a more consistent therapeutic effect for the patient. Beyond demand from the inherent advantages of using SSD forms, there is further demand as the instances of skin diseases increase due to global warming and dermal reactions to medication use in aging populations rises.

While SSD forms offer many benefits to patients and practitioners, the development, manufacturing, and packaging processes present challenges for producers. Molecules in transdermal SSD forms must be able to penetrate the skin barrier to deliver the APIs to the bloodstream. Additional ingredients could alleviate this issue by increasing the skin's permeability but may cause further complications as they leave the skin vulnerable. Learn more about the advantages of formulating medications into SSD forms and the challenges to consider.