Film-Forming Systems in Topically Administered Pharmaceutical Formulations

The skin is the most extensive and outermost organ in the body and can be greatly exploited both from the point of view of alternative routes of systemic drug delivery and treatment of dermatological diseases. Because of its main function as a barrier against harmful external agents, it also becomes a barrier to drug administration, but there are strategies to reduce this limitation of this promising route of administration. The development of polymer-based film-forming formulations is extensively studied for this purpose, since the formation of a film on the skin increases the contact time of the drug, for this being characterized as a controlled release reservoir system. There are a multitude of possible polymers to compose these formulations and their choice must be made according to the purpose of each application. This work, therefore, aims to study the state of the art of film forming systems for topical application of pharmaceutical formulations.