Celecoxib Oral Solution and the Benefits of Self-Microemulsifying Drug Delivery Systems (SMEDDS) Technology: A Narrative Review

Introduction The oral route of drug delivery is the most widespread and preferred route of administration, but it has several limitations, including variable pharmacokinetics (PK), reduced dissolution and absorption, and gastrointestinal irritation. Further, many compounds have low aqueous solubility, which also limits intestinal absorption. Methods For this narrative review, we conducted a literature search of PubMed until August 2022, focusing on emulsions, microemulsions, nanoemulsions, and self-emulsifying drug delivery systems. Results The self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) overcomes these limitations of hydrophobic compounds to enhance their bioavailability. A SMEDDS formulation is a clear, thermodynamically stable, oil-in-water emulsion of lipid, solubilized drug, and two surfactants, which spontaneously forms droplets