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A Horse of a Different Color: How Formulation Influences Medication Effects
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 May 2012
Abstract
A medication's pharmacokinetic properties can be as important as its efficacy in determining how successful a treatment is. Formulation plays a critical role in absorption, distribution, and elimination of a drug, which in turn can influence the clinical profile of a medication, including onset and duration of action, consistency of plasma levels, ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, and other factors. Advances in drug delivery technology mean that formulation is now an integral component in the development of a drug. Likewise, formulation is one of the factors that may influence selection of a medication to suit the needs of a particular patient. This article briefly reviews the technologies commonly applied in the development of psychotropic medications, with emphasis on the various oral modified-release formulations, and discusses how formulation can be used to optimize the efficacy and tolerability of psychotropic drugs.
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- Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012
Footnotes
Stephen M. Stahl, MD, PhD, Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California San Diego, Honorary Visiting Senior Fellow at the University of Cambridge, Chairman of the Neuroscience Education Institute (NEI).
Acknowledgment of Financial Support: The activity is supported by an educational grant from Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.
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