Delivery selective/targeted

K. J. Widder and A. E. Senyei, Magnetic microsphere A vehicle for selective targeting of organs, in Methods of Drug Delivery (G. M. Ihler, ed.), Pergamon Press, New York, 1986, p. 39. 

Ointments and Creams Ointments are applied to the skin for topical treatment or to be absorbed into the blood system for delivery to target areas. They are semisofid preparations obtained by mixing the API with selected ointment bases depending on intended use. These bases include petrolatum, paraffin, mineral oil, lanolin, and glycols. Preservatives are often added to ensure the ointments will maintain the recommended shelf life. 

A more specific approach to delivering agents to biological hosts is to incorporate some selectivity mechanism - this is known as targeted delivery. Selective delivery can be achieved by controlling the size of the polymer particle (vector), or through some chemical functionality on the particle surface that is recognised by the host. 

The drug did that and nothing else, either by true biological selectivity or by selective targeted delivery... 

The replacement of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) propellants with the non-ozone-depleting hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) merit mention for two reasons. First, it illustrates how environmental impact can be an important selection criterion at a time when green issues are high profile. Second, HFCs were developed and evaluated for safety and delivery capability by a consortium of pharmaceutical companies, with costs shared and evaluation programs defined by prior agreement between end-users and propellant manufacturers. Such collaboration could be employed usefully in the future to develop novel excipients for delivery or targeting. The benefits would undoubtedly accrue to all. 

K., Cassidy, J. and Duncan, R. (1991) Synthetic polymers conjugated to monoclonal antibodies vehicles for tumour-targeted drag delivery. Select. Cancer Ther. 7 59-13. 

---