Background Pioglitazone HCl (Pio) is an effective medication for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but its low solubility limits its bioavailability. Solid dispersions (SDs) with polymers can improve the physicochemical and biopharmaceutical properties of drugs with poor solubility. Methods A literature search was conducted on Scopus, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar databases, using the keywords pioglitazone, SDs, and bioavailability, and adhering to the inclusion criteria of experimental studies published between 2013 and 2026. Results A total of 10 studies met the inclusion criteria, indicating that polymers such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), poloxamer, polyethylene glycol (PEG), gelucire 50/13, and solutol HS 15 are frequently used in the production of Pio SDs. The solvent evaporation method proved most effective in enhancing drug release, with in vitro results showing release rates of up to 98% for PVP and 100% for Solutol HS 15. in vivo studies demonstrated significant increases in maximum concentration (C max ) and area under the curve (AUC), with Solutol HS 15 increasing AUC by up to four times compared to the control. Various solid dispersion techniques have been used to improve the solubility of pioglitazone HCl, including solvent evaporation, hot-melt method, spray drying, kneading, microwave, and freeze drying. Among these methods, solvent evaporation was the most frequently applied and demonstrated the most consistent improvement in drug dissolution. Conclusions Solid dispersion techniques effectively improved the solubility and dissolution of pioglitazone HCl. Solvent evaporation using hydrophilic polymers showed the most consistent results in enhancing drug bioavailability.
Nurleni et al. (Sat,) studied this question.
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