Development, Application and Future Trends of Pyrrolidone‐ and Caprolactam‐Based Materials in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Abstract

The initial success of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a blood plasma expander in Europe and later in the United States led to further clinical investigation into the polymer's biological interactions. Pharmaceutical excipients constitute the majority ingredients of a medicine. The excipients, apart from meeting the stringent quality and safety requirements for medical usage, play a crucial role in ensuring stability and bioavailability of the active principles. Solubility and solubilization are important concepts in the pharmaceutical industry. The chapter presents the discussions on delivery of drugs by nanoparticles and amorphous solid dispersions cover aspects of molecular complex formation between drugs and pyrrolidone‐ or lactam‐based materials. Formulations based on povidone iodine continue to remain popular even decades after their first uses for wound healing and antisepsis. Stronger binding in the lower dendrimers may have utility in certain drug delivery situations, where complex stability coupled to drug delivery to the destination are deemed critical to the treatment situation.