CO-CRYSTALLIZATION: A NOVEL APPROACH TO ENHANCE THE DISSOLUTION OF POORLY SOLUBLE DRUGS

Approximately 40% of newly synthesized drugs are not able to enter market due to biopharmaceutical issues like poor solubility and poor permeability. Most number of drugs marketed is administered orally hence solubility enhancement plays a major role. There are different techniques to upgrade the dissolvability of inefficiently soluble drugs including pro-drug approach, salt formation, particle size reduction, complexation and solid dispersion. Out of all other techniques, salt formation is one of majorly used technique to improve physicochemical characteristics of drugs which includes formation of ionic bond. But nowadays development of co-crystals has evolved as a suitable technique towards improving the dissolvability and bioavailability of ineffectively soluble drugs that includes non-ionic bond formation. In this paper a brief and accurate precis of pharmaceutical co-crystals is stated with specific spotlight on co-crystal preparation methodologies, mechanism of co-crystal formation, characterization methods and some of the examples of pharmaceutical co-crystals are additionally outlined. The difference between salts and co-crystals, regulatory facet and also the future prospective of co-crystallization is being discussed.