Objective: This study examined research productivity of NSAIDs in Malaysia.
Materials and Methods: This bibliometric study included all published research articles on NSAIDs from 1979 to 2018, which were conducted in Malaysia. The search databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus were used. Search terms included NSAIDs and specific drug names such as ibuprofen, celecoxib, and naproxen. Growth of publication, authorship pattern, citation analysis, journal index, type of studies, and geographical distribution of institutions publishing articles on NSAIDs were measured.
Results: Overall, 111 articles were retrieved from 1979 to 2018. The annual productivity of articles throughout the study fluctuated in which the highest productivity was in 2018, 12.61% (n = 14). Majority of articles were multiple authored, 99.10% (n = 109), and University of Science Malaysia (USM) produced the highest number of articles (30 articles). Most of the articles were International Scientific Indexing-indexed, 52.25% (n = 58), and the main issue studied in most of the articles was the drug formulation of NSAIDs.
Conclusion: The growth of NSAID research in Malaysia was slow, and the majority of research involved laboratory studies. Clinical studies evaluating the clinical outcomes of NSAIDs in patients, particularly using large healthcare databases are still lacking.
AREAS COVERED: This review outlines the role of alginate for oral sustained release formulations. For better insights into its application in drug delivery, the mechanisms of drug release from alginate matrices are discussed alongside the alginate inherent properties and drug properties. Specifically, the influence of alginate properties and formulation components on the resultant alginate gel and subsequent drug release is reviewed. Modifications of the alginate to improve its properties in modulating drug release are also discussed.
EXPERT OPINION: Alginate-based matrix tablets is useful for sustaining drug release. As a nature-derived polymer, batch consistency and stability raise some concerns about employing alginate in formulations. Furthermore, the alginate gel properties can be affected by formulation components, pH of the dissolution environment and the tablet matrix micro-environment pH. Conscientious efforts are pivotal to addressing these formulation challenges to increase the utilization of alginate in oral solid dosage forms.
METHODS: Polymeric carriers with different hydrophobic to hydrophilic ratios were used to prepare several electrospun solid dispersion formulations. Physicochemical properties and surface morphology of the samples were assessed using Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR), polarized light microscopy, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Dissolution study was conducted in a non-sink condition to assess the drug release.
RESULTS: Incorporation of a higher amount of hydrophilic component showed an improvement in formulating a fully amorphous system based on XRPD, yet the dissolution rate increment showed no significant difference from the lower. Hence, the degree of crystallinity is proven not to be the crucial factor contributing to dissolution rate improvement. The presence of a concomitant hydrophobic component, however, showed ability in resisting precipitation and sustaining supersaturation.
CONCLUSION: Hydrophobicity in a binary carrier system plays an important role in achieving and maintaining the supersaturated state particularly for an amorphous solid dispersion. Graphical Abstract.