Osmotic properties of drug solutions

In the case of strong electrolytes, the chemical potential is the sum of the chemical potentials of the ions. For the simple case of a 1 1 electrolyte, the chemical potential is given hy 

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Osmotic pressure, a colligative property, depends on the concentration of solute (neutral molecule or ionic species) that contributes to the osmotic pressure. Solutions of different concentrations having the same solute and solvent system exhibit an osmotic pressure proportional to their concentrations. Thus a constant osmotic pressure, and thereby a constant influx of water, can be achieved by an osmotic delivery system that results in a constant release rate of drug. Therefore, zero-order release, which is important for a controlled release delivery system when indicated, is possible to achieve using these platforms. In 1974,... 

From Equation 28 it may be observed that the rate of drug release from an osmotically controlled system is directly proportional to the osmotic pressure within the tablet. As a result the osmotic pressure is an important design consideration for these systems. Osmotic pressure is a colligative property and is therefore dependent on the number of ions and molecules in solution. If the solubility of the drug is low, the inherent osmotic pressure within the tablet will be low and therefore the rate of drug release will be low. Under these conditions the inclusion of excipients, e.g., mannitol, sodium chloride, potassium chloride or hydrophilic polymers, is required within the tablet core. Upon dissolution within the tablet the osmotic pressure will increase thereby enhancing the rate of release of the therapeutic agent (a.47, a. 167). 

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