Table 1

In recent years, the formulation of poorly soluble compounds presented interesting challenges for formulation scientists in the pharmaceutical industry. Up to 40% of new chemical entities discovered by the pharmaceutical industry are poorly soluble or lipophilic compounds, which leads to poor oral bioavailability, high intra- and inter-subject variability, and lack of dose proportionality (1).

In the oral formulation of such compounds, a number of attempts—such as decreasing particle size, use of wetting agents, coprecipitation, and preparation of solid dispersions— have been made to modify the dissolution profile and thereby improve the absorption rate. Recently, much attention has focused on lipid-based formulations to improve the bioavailability of poorly water soluble drugs. Among many such delivery options, like incorporation of drugs in oils (2), surfactant dispersion (3), emulsions (4) and liposomes (5), one of the most popular approaches are the self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDSs).