The vagina has been considered a potential drug administration route for centuries. Most of the currently marketed and investigated vaginal formulations are composed with the use of natural or synthetic polymers having different functions in the product. The vaginal route is usually investigated as an administration site for topically acting active ingredients; however, the anatomical and physiological features of the vagina make it suitable also for drug systemic absorption. In this review, the most important natural and synthetic polymers used in vaginal products are summarized and described, with special attention paid to the properties important in terms of vaginal application. Moreover, the current knowledge on the commonly applied and innovative dosage forms designed for vaginal administration was presented. The aim of this work was to highlight the most recent research directions and indicate challenges related to vaginal drug administrations. As revealed in the literature overview, intravaginal products still gain enormous scientific attention, and novel polymers and formulations are still explored. However, there are research areas that require more extensive studies in order to provide the safety of novel vaginal products.

The selection of appropriate functional co-processed excipient (CPE) is a crucial stage in orodispersible minitablets (ODMTs) development. This paper aimed to identify the most important morphological attributes influencing the flowability and homogeneity of powder mixtures and minitablets final quality. Our research included the use of the laser diffraction method, the microscopic automated imaging technique and a flowability tester. All powder parameters examined were divided into two groups: those affecting mixture homogeneity or flowability. A Pearson's correlation matrix revealed a strong relationship between both, especially in terms of solidity-circularity and convexity-circularity pairs (r = −0.71, p = 0.010 and r = 0.93, p = 0.000 respectively). An analysis of model mixtures confirmed that high solidity values of the CPE support final mixture homogeneity and accordingly high circularity values support its flowability. In conclusion, solidity and circularity were indicated as the most critical morphological parameters, which have to be analyzed to define the best possible ODMTs formulation.

This work reviews the examples of the application of lyophilization and its cryogenic modifications as the production method of solid dispersions and drug nanocrystals, two formulation approaches aimed at increasing the solubility, dissolution rate and oral bioavailability of poorly water soluble drugs. A brief recapitulation of freeze-drying basics is presented and the review is organized according to application and product type, with the consideration of different cryogenic techniques, e.g. spray freezing into liquid, as well as the combinations of lyophilization with other nanonization methods in pharmaceutical technology. The review focuses on freeze-drying as a particle engineering tool for the size reduction and surface area enhancement in the generation of nanosized drug particles, both as simple nanocrystals and as their dispersions within water soluble micro- or nanoparticulate matrices, instead of the use of lyophilization as a mere drying or solidification method. Therefore, attention is given to the relationships between formulation and process parameters (e.g. freezing rate), and the properties of the obtained material: particle size, porosity, surface area, morphology, polymorphism and dissolution behavior.

Open Research Biopharmaceutical Internships Support (ORBIS) is an international, Horizon 2020 project funded by Maria Skłodowska-Curie Actions, Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) programme. Six academic institutions and four pharmaceutical companies from seven countries cooperate with the aim to improve the preclinical pathway of medicine development through increased Research and Development (R&D) productivity, especially focusing on processes and technologies which address the challenge of poor drug bioavailability. The RISE scheme supports secondments, meaning that early stage and experienced researchers are sent to consortium partner institutions to advance studies on pharmaceutical preformulation, dosage forms and drug delivery systems and methods of biopharmaceutical evaluation. The ORBIS project enables secondees to gain news skills and develop their competences in an international and intersectoral environment, strengthening the human capital and knowledge synergy in the European pharmaceutical R&D sector.

Vitamin D (VD) is a fat-soluble prohormone well known for its role in regulating calcium and phosphate metabolism. It has been clinically used for many years to prevent rickets in children, osteomalacia, and osteoporosis in adults. VD insufficiency is a common medical condition, and many supplements are available in the market in order to increase serum 25-hydroxy VD levels to recommended amounts. Over the course of the last decades, it has become increasingly clear that calcitriol, an active form of VD, regulates multiple cellular processes with effects on normal and malignant cell growth and differentiation, and on the immune and cardiovascular function. Increasing evidence supports the role of the VD system in cancer prevention and therapy. Due to many pleiotropic and beneficial effects in extra-skeletal disorders, VD has gained potential and become an interesting active for encapsulation into drug delivery systems. The purpose of this review is to present the diversity of drug delivery systems that have been reported for VD or VD derivatives in an orderly manner across the following categories: Oral administration, application on the skin, cancer prevention/therapy, and other diseases or routes of administration.