title: Anterior eye segment drug delivery systems: current treatments and future challenges.
abstract: New technologies for delivery of drugs, such as small molecules and biologics, are of growing interest among clinical and pharmaceutical researchers for use in treating anterior segment eye disease. The challenge is to deliver effective drugs at therapeutic concentrations to the targeted ocular tissue with minimal side effects. To achieve this, a better understanding of the unmet needs, what is required of the various methods of delivery to achieve successful delivery, and the potential challenges of anterior segment drug delivery is necessary and the primarily aim of this review. This review covers the various physiological and anatomical barriers that exist for effective delivery to the targeted tissue of the eye, the pathological conditions of the anterior segment, and the unmet needs for treatment of these ocular diseases. Second, it reviews the novel delivery technologies that have the potential to maintain and/or improve the drug's therapeutic index and improving both patient adherence for chronic therapy and potential patient outcomes. This review bridges the pharmaceutical and clinical research/challenges and provides a detailed overview of anterior segment drug delivery accomplishments thus far, for researchers and clinicians.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132, USA. s.a.molokhia@utah.edu
authors.forename: Sarah A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Molokhia
authors.forename: Samuel C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Kevin J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Garff
authors.forename: Kenneth J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Mandell
authors.forename: Barbara M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Wirostko
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000869:Anterior Eye Segment / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D001682:Biological Availability; D003315:Cornea / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D004343:Drug Implants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D004343:Drug Implants; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations