One dose or two? The use of polymers in drug delivery

Controlled‐release delivery systems are designed to prolong the release of drugs within the body. They consist of drug molecules encapsulated within biodegradable polymers which degrade safely into small, non‐toxic fragments, resulting in the release of the drug. Because different polymers have different degradation times, the system can be tailored to achieve the desired release rate and this can be very useful in treatments where daily dosing is required, such as epilepsy. Despite this obvious advantage, there are problems with this type of delivery, including an increased risk of overdosing. This article examines the pros and cons of controlled‐release drug‐delivery systems.