A Comprehensive Review on the Potential of Microfabricated Microneedles for Effective Systemic Delivery of Drugs

Abstract

Microneedles are a new technology for percutaneous drug delivery. They are often conveyed in a series of multiple simple microneedles used on the skin to facilitate systemic or topical drug delivery. They are manufactured using various techniques and they could be hollow, solid, coated or polymeric. Although classified as an emerging but expanding field of drug delivery, they are flawed in many ways. This paper will extensively discuss (in the context of skin physiology) the use of microneedles and their feasibility in delivering medication to sites of actions in the body. This paper is a review paper and data were collated from multiple sources including journals and articles. Microneedles show great potential; however, the physiology of the skin poses a great challenge for researches in this field.