Low Absorption of Critical Drugs

The majority of medicines in everyday use are administered orally, and these are absorbed into the bloodstream at different points in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) during their transit. There exists a class of drugs that are only absorbed at a specific (and narrow) portion of the GIT- these are termed narrow absorption window (NAW) drugs. Once these drugs pass their absorption ‘window’, their absorption into the bloodstream diminishes significantly. Some of the drugs in this class (e.g. anti-Parkinson’s and anti-infectives) are important not only for individual patients but also from a public health perspective. At the University of Huddersfield, researchers are working intensively to resolve the problem of the sub-optimal absorption of NAW drugs. Initial design concepts to remedy this problem have been translated into prototype designs, with some notable success.