Nanoemulgel as an approach to improve the biopharmaceutical performance of lipophilic drugs: Contemporary research and application

The vast majority (≥40%) of new drugs developed in drug discovery research or high-throughput screening are poorly aqueous soluble and lipophilic in nature. This lipophilic nature of the new drugs results in poor absorption, low bioavailability, and inconsistent pharmacokinetics profile. Novel drug delivery systems (NDDS) are being investigated to improve the pharmacokinetics profile of drugs having poor biopharmaceutical performance. Currently, there is an increased interest in lipid-based NDDS has been observed. Nanoemulgel (NEG), as an emerging lipid-based NDDS, has demonstrated astonishing benefits for drugs having poor biopharmaceutical attributes compared to conventional formulation. NEG is an example of semi-solid dosage forms consisting of oil/water nanoemulsion (NE) incorporated into the gel matrix to improve the therapeutic outcomes and pharmacokinetic profile of the lipophilic drug. Recently, an increasing trend in applying NEG has been observed, owing to the improved acceptability of the formulation by patients due to its non-invasive delivery, its ease of application, and its safety profile. In this review, we have s discussed the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamic, and safety profile of lipophilic drugs loaded in the NEG system. Furthermore, the current potential and future scope of the NEG system in terms of becoming a reliable delivery system are also discussed here.