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Available online at ajdhs.com 

Asian Journal of Dental and Health Sciences 
Open Access to Pharmaceutical and Medical Research 

Copyright  © 2022 The  Author(s): This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the CC BY-NC 4.0 
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium for non-commercial use provided the 

original author and source are credited 

 

 

 

A Comprehensive Review: Transdermal Drug Delivery System: A Tool For 
Novel Drug Delivery System 

Sadab, Sarad Sahu, Shubham Patel, Rubeena Khan*, Basant Khare, Bhupendra Singh Thakur, Anushree Jain, 
Prateek Kumar Jain 

Adina College of Pharmacy, ADINA Campus Rd, Lahdara, Sagar, MP, 470001 

Article Info: 
_______________________________________ 
Article History: 

Received 11 Sep 2022      
Reviewed 06 Nov 2022 
Accepted 24 Nov 2022 
Published 15 Dec 2022 

_______________________________________ 
Cite this article as:  

Sadab, Sahu S, Patel S, Khan R, Khare B, Thakur 
BS, Jain A, Jain PK, A Comprehensive Review: 
Transdermal Drug Delivery System: A Tool For 
Novel Drug Delivery System, Asian Journal of 
Dental and Health Sciences. 2022; 2(4):40-47 

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22270/ajdhs.v2i4.24   

_______________________________________

*Address for Correspondence:   

Rubeena Khan, Adina College of Pharmacy, 
ADINA Campus Rd, Lahdara, Sagar, MP, 470001 

Abstract 
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

In the recent decade, skin delivery (topical and transdermal) has gained an unprecedented popularity, 
especially due to increased incidences of chronic skin diseases, demand for targeted and patient 
compliant delivery and interest in life cycle management strategies among pharmaceutical companies. 
Transdermal drug delivery system was presented to overcome the difficulties of drug delivery especially 
oral route. Transdermal drug delivery refers to a means of delivering drugs through the surface of the 
skin for local or systemic treatment. The drug functions after absorption through the skin into the 
systemic circulation via capillary action at a certain rate. Transdermal patches are now widely used as 
cosmetic, topical and transdermal delivery systems. These patches represent a key outcome from the 
growth in skin science, technology and   expertise developed through trial and error, clinical observation 
and evidence-based studies that date back to the first existing human records. A transdermal patch is a 
medicated adhesive patch that is placed on the skin to deliver a specific dose of medication through skin 
and into the bloodstream. An advantage of a transdermal drug delivery route over other types of 
delivery system such as oral, topical, intravenous (i.v.), intramuscular (i.m.), etc. is that the patch 
provides a controlled release of the medication into the patient, usually through either a porous 
membrane covering a reservoir of medication or through body heat melting thin layers of medication 
embedded in the adhesive. The main disadvantage to transdermal delivery systems stems from the fact 
that the skin composition offers very effective barrier that allow only small molecule based drugs to 
penetrate the skin and pass through the barrier. Sildenafil citrate (SLD) is a selective cyclic guanosine 
monophosphate-specific phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor used for the oral treatment of erectile 
dysfunction and more recently, it has been used for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension 
and the enhancement of uteroplacental perfusion in case of fetal growth retardation. The challenges 
facing the oral administration of the drug include poor bioavailability and short duration of action that 
requires frequent administration. The main objective of transdermal drug delivery system is to deliver 
drugs into systemic circulation through skin at predetermined rate with minimal inter and intrapatient 
variations. 

Keyword: Skin delivery, Transdermal drug delivery, Oral rout, Sildenafil citrate, Pulmonary arterial 
hypertension 

 

Introduction 

Oral route is the most popular route of drug delivery system 
but it has some disadvantages including first pass metabolism, 
drug degradation in gastrointestinal tract due to enzymes, pH 
etc. To overcome these problems, a novel drug delivery system 
was developed by Chien in 1992, Banker in 1990, Guy in 1996 
based on transdermal patches meant for transdermal 
delivery1. Transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS) refers to 
a route of drug delivery through the skin to achieve local or 
systemic therapeutic action. It is one of the focus areas of 
research for the third-generation pharmaceutical 
preparations, next only to oral medication and injection2. The 
reasons lie in the administration route of the drug, which is 
convenient, easy to use, non-invasive, and also improves 
patient compliance3. It also reduces the fluctuation of the drug 
concentration in the blood, provides steady plasma levels and 
fewer chances of overdose and easy detection of the drug4,5. At 
the same time, it evades problems associated with oral 

delivery such as the effect of the gastrointestinal environment 
(pH, enzymatic activity, drug and food interaction) on the drug 
efficacy and the ‘first pass effect’ (the rapid uptake and 
metabolism of an agent into inactive compounds by the liver, 
immediately after enteric absorption and before it reaches the 
systemic circulation). They are available in different sizes & 
having more than one ingredient. Once they apply on 
unbroken skin they deliver active ingredients into systemic 
circulation passing via skin barrier. A transdermal patch 
containing high dose of drug inside is retained on the skin for 
prolonged period of time and enters into blood circulation via 
diffusion process.  Transdermal drug delivery systems are 
used in various skin disorders, also in the management of 
angina pectoris, pains, smoking cessation & neurological 
disorders such as Parkinson’s disease6,7.  Transdermal drugs 
will continue to gain popularity along with further 
improvements to improve safety and efficacy. A further major 
step forward will be the production of patches delivering 
peptide and even protein substances including insulin, growth 

                       Open Access                                                                                                                                                                                                          Review Article                                                                           

http://jddtonline.info/
http://dx.doi.org/10.22270/ajdhs.v2i4.24


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hormone, and vaccines8. Transdermal patches can be 
categorized into three categories - first generation, second 
generation, and third generation.  

First generation transdermal patches  

They are the first set of patches and have been used much in 
clinics. The transdermal patch design consists of a drug in a 
reservoir that is enclosed on one side with impermeable 
backing and an adhesive, which contacts the skin8. However, 
due to certain limitations, not all drugs with suitable 
properties can be delivered. The first generation transdermal 
patches are limited primarily to the outermost skin barrier 
that is stratum corneum. Hence, the drugs should be of low 
molecular weight, lipophilic, and efficient at low doses.  

Second generation transdermal patches  

The second generation transdermal patches consists of 
advanced system that allows increased the skin permeability, 
reduced damage to the deeper tissues and better transport 
into the skin. However, enhancement methods developed in 
this generation, such as chemical enhancers, non-cavitation 
ultrasound and iontophoresis experienced difficulty in 
balancing between increased permeation through stratum 
corneum and at the same time protection of tissues at the 
deeper level.  Chemical enhancers disrupt the highly ordered 
bilayer of the stratum corneum by inserting amphiphilic 
molecules to help in better permeation. This leads to skin 
irritation. Similarly, Iontophoresis involves administration of 
drugs into the stratum corneum under low voltage current. It 
mainly provides an electrical driving force for transport across 
stratum corneum. It does not disturb the skin barrier, thus, 
can be used for delivery of small molecules that carry a charge 
and some macromolecules up to a few Daltons. Rate of drug 
delivery can be controlled using a microprocessor. In Non-
cavitation ultrasound, the pressure gradients and oscillation 
associated with ultrasound emerges to be responsible for 
passage of drug through the skin by disrupting stratum 
corneum and thereby increasing the permeability. The effects 
of ultrasound have been limited to small lipophilic molecules. 
It has been limited due to its associated tissue heating, which 
can damage the deeper tissue9. 

Third generation transdermal patches  

The third generation of transdermal delivery system involves 
targeted approach of disruption of stratum corneum while 
protecting deeper tissues intact. Novel chemical enhancers, 
electroporation, cavitational ultrasound, microneedles, 
thermal ablation and microdermabrasion are few newer 
techniques that deliver macromolecules, including therapeutic 
proteins and vaccines, across the skin in human clinical 
trials10.  

Skin 

The skin is the largest and most visible organ of the body. The 
skin covers a total surface area of approximately 1.5-2 m2 and 
is the barrier between human body and the external 
environment11. Many of its functions include temperature 
regulation, immunity from microorganisms, maintaining 
electrolyte balance, as well as protection from physical 
injuries, chemical agents, and ultraviolet radiation12,13. In 
addition, skin is also an important avenue for absorption of 
drugs and exerting their efficacy. The skin is composed of 
epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue, and contains 
appendages (such as hair follicles, sebaceous glands, sweat 
glands), blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, nerves, etc. The 
epidermis can be divided into five layers from the inside to the 
outside, namely the stratum basale, stratum spinosum, 
stratum granulosum, stratum lucidum, and stratum corneum 

(SC) (Figure 1) 13,14. The properties of SC are quite different 
from those of the other layers, with the overall structure 
composed of inactive keratinocytes and intercellular lipids 
that form a ‘brick and mortar’ model, in which, the protein-
rich keratinocytes serve as the bricks and the intercellular 
lipids serve as the mortar15,16. SC is the main factor 
determining the skin barrier, and also the major obstacle 
limiting the rate of percutaneous absorption even though the 
thickness is only 10-20 µm17,18. There are two routes of 
transdermal permeation of drugs. One is through the natural 
channel of skin appendages. These channels are hydrophilic 
and have a diameter of few microns. Owning to the fact that 
the average follicular orifice area on the human skin surface is 
only about 0.1% of the total surface area19, it is not the 
primary pathway of percutaneous absorption. The second 
route is through the penetration of the epidermis, to enter the 
dermis through the SC and the deeper epidermis, being 
absorbed in the body circulation by the capillaries. As for the 
penetration of drugs and passing through the SC, two 
pathways exist,namely, the transcellular route, through which 
substances infiltrate the keratinocytes and intercellular lipids, 
and subsequently pass through and are transported. The drug 
needs to diffuse through hydrophilic and hydrophobic areas, 
and therefore, it may not be applicable to most drugs. The 
second and most likely route taken by drugs when penetrating 
the SC is via a tortuous pathway through the lipids 
surrounding the keratinocytes, known as the intercellular 
route20. 

Mechanism of action of transdermal patch 

A typical transdermal patch consists of an adhesive layer 
which sticks on to the skin, a semi solid to liquid drug is 
smeared between the layers of drug releasing membranes 
which are exclusively semipermeable in nature. An outermost 
clear backing protects overall patch during application.  A 
transdermal patch when applied to skin, establishes a good 
connection between the skin and semi permeable membrane 
Figure 2. A slow and a sustained flow of drug occurs from drug 
reservoir of the patch to the skin via drug release membrane 
by simple diffusion/ osmosis process through percutaneous 
drug delivery system21. 

Advantages of transdermal drug delivery  

 Transdermal drug delivery enables the avoidance of 
gastrointestinal absorption with its associated pitfalls of 
enzymatic and pH associated deactivation.  

 Avoidance of first pass metabolism.  

 The lack of peaks in plasma concentration can reduce the 
risk of side effects, thus drugs that require relatively 
consistent plasma levels are very good candidate for 
transdermal drug delivery.  

 As a substitute for oral route.  

 The patch also permit constant dosing rather than the 
peaks and valley in medication level associated with orally 
administered medication.  

 Rapid notifications of medication in the event of 
emergency as well as the capacity to terminate drug effects 
rapidly via patch removal.  

 Avoidance of gastro intestinal incompatibility.  

 Convenience especially notable in patches that require 
only once weekly application, such a simple dosing 
regimen can aid in patient adherence to drug therapy.  

 Minimizing undesirable side effects.  



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 Provide utilization of drug with short biological half lives, 
narrow therapeutic window.  

 Avoiding in drug fluctuation drug levels.  

 Inter and intra patient variation.  

 Termination of therapy is easy at any point of time.  

 Provide suitability for self administration.  

 They are non invasive, avoiding the inconvenience of 
parentral therapy.  

 The activity of drugs having a short half life is extended 
through the reservoir of drug in the therapeutic delivery 
system and its controlled release.  

 It is of great advantages in patients who are nauseated or 
unconscious.  

 Transdermal patches are better way to deliver substances 
that are broken down by the stomach aids, not well 
absorbed from the gut, or extensively degraded by the 
liver.  

 Transdermal patches are cost effective.  

  

 

 Figure 1:  Schematic representation of the different skin layers 

 

Figure 2: Different layers of transdermal patch with mechanism of action22  

Disadvantages of transdermal drug delivery  

 Transdermal drug delivery system cannot deliver ionic 
drugs.  

 It cannot achieve high drug levels in blood.  

 It cannot develop for drugs of large molecular size.  

 It cannot deliver drugs in a pulsatile fashion.  

 It cannot develop if drug or formulation causes irritation 
to skin.  

 Possibility of local irritation at site of application.  

 May cause allergic reaction.  

 Sufficient aqueous and lipid solubility, a log P (octanol/ 
water) between 1 and 3 is required for permeate to 
transverse stratum corneum and underlying aqueous 
layer.  

 Only potent drugs are suitable candidates for transdermal 
patch because of the natural limits of drug entry imposed 
by the skin’s impermeability.  



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 Long time adherence is difficult23-28.  

Basic components of TDDS 

 Polymer matrix/drug  

 Reservoir Drug 

 Permeation enhancer  

 Adhesive 

 Backing film 

 Liner 

 Plasticizer 

Polymer matrix29-38 

It is very important component in TDDS and control the 
release of drug from patch.  

 They should not produce any toxic effect either alone (or) 
with other excipients in TDDS formulation. 

 They shouldn’t expensive one and it should be easily 
manufactured. 

 They should have good stability and more compatibility 
with drugs and other components of system. 

 The polymers used in TDDS should be stable. 

The cross linked poly ethylene glycol, eudragit, ethyl cellulose, 
poly vinyl pyrolidine and hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose are 
commonly used as matrix formers in TDDS. The polymers like 
EVA, poly urethane and silicone rubber are used as rate 
controlling membrane. 

 

Table 1 List of polymers used in TDDS 

Natural polymers Synthetic elastomer Synthetic polymer 

Cellulose derivative, Gelatin, Shellac, 
Starch, Waxes, Gums, Natural rubber, 
Chitosan etc. 

Poly butadiene, Hydrin rubber, Poly iso 
butylenes, Silicon rubber, Nitrile, Acronitryle, 
Neoprene, Butyl rubber etc 

PVA, Poly vinyl chloride, 
Polyethylene, PVP, Poly acrylate etc. 

 

Drug reservoir 

The selection of drug is based on its properties like 
physiochemical as well as biological properties. 

 Drug should have higher first pass metabolism. 

 Drugs having narrow therapeutic window. 

 Drugs with short half life. 

 Drugs with frequent dosing. 

 Low molecular weight moieties (<1000 Dalton) 

 Drugs with low dose (mg/day). 

 Low melting point substances (<200⁰C) 

 Drugs having affinity with both lipophilic and hydrophilic 
phases. 

 Drugs without any dermatological effect are suitable for 
formulation as transdermal patch. 

Permeation enhancers 

These are the substances which are reversibly changes the 
structure of stratum corneum and increase the permeation of 
drug from skin to blood stream. They are two types 

1) Chemical enhancers [accelerants, absorption 
promoters (or) permeation enhancers] 

They act by increasing drug permeability by reversible 
damage to stratum corneum and to increase partition 
coefficient of drug. 

 

Table 2 List of chemical enhancers used in TDDS 

Chemical Enhancers Examples 

Solvents Water, Methanol, Ethanol, Propylene Glycol, Di-Methyl Acetamide 

Terpenes Menthol, Cardamom Oil, Cinnamon Oil, 18-Cineol, Carvone 

Pyrolidine N-Methyl 2- Pyrolidine, Axone 

Sulfoxides DMS, Didecyl Sulfoxides 

Fatty Acids & Esters Oleic Acid, Linoleic Acid, Lauric Acid, Capric Acid 

Surfactants Anionic- SLS, Decodecyl Methyl, Sulfomide 

Non-Ionic- Pluronic F127, Pluronic F68, 

Bile Salts- Sodium Taurocholate, Sodium Deoxy Cholatte 

Amides Dimethyl Acetamide, Dimethyl Formamide 

Miscellaneous Phosphor Lipids, Amino Acid Derivatives, Enzymes, Urea 

 

 

 



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Physical enhancers 

The following physical techniques have been used for 
enhancing the permeability of drug through skin. 

 Ionotophoresis  

 Electrophoresis  

 Sonophoresis 

 By using micro needles  

 Magnetophoresis 

 By using laser radiation 

Adhesive 

 It is used to affix the patch on the skin. 

 It should be adhere onto the skin with light pressure 
applied by finger. 

 It should be easily removed from the skin surface without 
leaving any residue. It should not produce any irritation. 

 It should have excellent contact with the skin. 

 It should be compatible with other components in 
formulation. 

 It should allow permeation of drug freely from the patch 
E.g. polyacrylates,  polyisobutylenes  and silicone 
derivatives. 

Backing laminate 

 It is used to protect the patch from outer environment. 

 It should be chemically resistant. 

 It should not allow permeation of components in the patch. 

 It should have optimal elasticity, flexibility and tensile 
strength. 

 It should have low water vapour transition rate. 

 If a drug incorporated into a liquid (or) gel in the 
formulation, the backing material should be heat stable to 
allow fluid, the tight packing of drug reservoir (form-fill 
seal process). E.g. vinyl, poly ethylene and poly ester film 

Liner 

It is used to protect the patch during the storage. 

 It is removed during application of patch on skin. 

 It should be chemically inert. 

 It consists of two layers, one is base layer and other is 
release coating layer. The base layer may be occlusive (E.g. 
poly ethylene, poly vinyl chloride). The release coat layer 
made up of silicon (or) Teflon. 

 The polyester foil and metallized laminate are also used as 
release liner. 

Plasticizer 

 It is used to provide plasticity to transdermal patch. 

 It is also chemically inert and compatible with all other 
ingredients in the formulation. 

 Some of the plasticizer also acts as a permeation enhancer.    

Major transdermal systems  

Single-layer Drug-in-Adhesive: The adhesive layer of this 
system also contains the drug. In this type of patch the 
adhesive layer not only serves to adhere the various layers 

together, along with the entire system to the skin, but is also 
responsible for releases of the drug. The adhesive layer is 
surrounded by a temporary liner and a backing39. 

 

 

Multi-layer Drug-in-Adhesive: The multi-layer drug-in 
adhesive patch is similar to the single-layer system in that 
both adhesive layers are also responsible for release of the 
drug. The multi-layer system is different however as it adds 
another layer of drug-in-adhesive, usually separated by a 
membrane (but not in all cases). This patch also has a 
temporary liner-layer and a permanent backing40. 

 

Reservoir: Unlike the Single-layer and Multi-layer Drug-
inadhesive systems the reservoir transdermal system has a 
separate drug layer. The drug layer is a liquid compartment 
containing a drug solution or suspension separated by the 
adhesive layer. This patch is also backed by the backing layer. 
In this type of system the rate of release is zero order41. 

 

 

Matrix: The Matrix system has a drug layer of a semisolid 
matrix containing a drug solution or suspension. The adhesive 
layer in this patch surrounds the drug layer partially 
overlaying it42. 

 

Vapour Patch: In this type of patch the adhesive layernot only 
serves to adhere the various layers together but also to release 
vapour. The vapour patches are new on the market and they 
release essential oils for up to 6 hours. The vapour patches 
release essential oils and is used in cases of decongestion 
mainly. Other vapour patches on the market are controller 
vapour patches that improve the quality of sleep43. 

Various methods for preparation of TDDS 

Asymmetric TPX membrane method: - A prototype patch 
can be fabricated using a heat sealable polyester film with a 
concave of 1 cm diameter will be used as the backing 
membrane. Drug sample is dispensed into concave membrane, 
covered by TPX {poly- (4-methyl-1-pentene)} asymmetric 
membrane, and sealed by an adhesive. 

Circular Teflon mould method: - In this method, solutions 
containing polymers in various ratios are used in an organic 
solvent. Calculated amount of drug is dissolved in half the 



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quantity of same organic solvent. Enhancers in different 
concentrations are dissolved in the other half of the organic 
solvent and then added. Di-N butyl phthalate is added as a 
plasticizer into drug polymer solution. The total contents are 
stirred for 12 h and poured into circular Teflon mould. The 
moulds are placed on a leveled surface and covered with 
inverted funnel to control solvent vaporization in a laminar 
flow hood model with an air speed of 0.5 m/s. The solvent is 
allowed to evaporate for 24 h. The dried films are stored for 
another 24 h at 25±0.5°C in a desiccators containing silica gel 
before evaluation to eliminate aging effects. 

Mercury substrate method: - In this method, drug is 
dissolved in a polymer solution along with plasticizer. The 
above solution is stirred for 10-15 min to produce a 
homogenous dispersion and poured onto a leveled mercury 
surface, covered with inverted funnel to control solvent 
evaporation. 

 “IPM membranes” method: - In this method, drug is 
dispersed in a mixture of water and propylene glycol 
containing carbomer 940 polymer and stirred for 12 h in 
magnetic stirrer. The dispersion is to be neutralized and made 
viscous by the addition of triethanolamine. Buffer pH 7.4 can 
be used in order to obtain solution gel, if the drug solubility in 
aqueous solution is very poor. The formed gel will be 
incorporated in the IPM membrane. 

“EVAC membranes” method: - In this method, drug is 
dispersed in a mixture of water and propylene glycol 
containing carbomer 940 polymer and stirred for 12 h in 
magnetic stirrer. The dispersion is neutralized and made 
viscous by the addition of triethanolamine. Buffer pH 7.4 can 
be used in order to obtain solution gel, if the drug solubility in 
aqueous solution is very poor. The formed gel will be 
incorporated in the IPM membrane. 

Aluminium backed adhesive film method: Aluminium 
backed adhesive film method is a suitable one when loading 
dose is greater than 10mg. For preparation of the same, 
chloroform is a solvent of choice because most of the drugs as 
well as adhesives are soluble in chloroform. The drug is 
dissolved in chloroform and adhesive material will be added 
to the drug solution and dissolved. A custom made aluminium 
former is lined with aluminium foil and the ends blanked with 
tightly fitting cork blocks. 

Preparation of TDDS by using proliposomes: - The 
proliposomes are prepared by carrier method using film 
deposition technique. The proliposomes are prepared by 
taking 5mg of mannitol powder in a 100 ml round bottom 
flask which is kept at 60-70°c temperature and the flask is 
rotated at 80-90 rpm and dried the mannitol at vacuum for 30 
min. After drying, the temperature of the water bath is 
adjusted to 20-30°C. Drug and lecithin are dissolved in a 
suitable organic solvent mixture; a 0.5 ml aliquot of the 
organic solution is introduced into the round bottomed flask 
at 37°C, after complete drying second aliquot (0.5 ml) of the 
solution is to be added. After the last loading, the flask 
containing proliposomes are connected in a lyophilizer and 
subsequently drug loaded mannitol powders proliposomes) 
are placed in a desiccator over night and then sieved through 
100 mesh. The collected powder is transferred into a glass 
bottle and stored at the freezing temperature until 
characterization. 

Free film method: - In this method, free film of cellulose 
acetate isprepared by casting on mercury surface. A polymer 
solution (2% w/w) is prepared using chloroform. Plasticizers 
are to be incorporated at a concentration of 40% w/w of 
polymer weight. Five ml of polymer solution was poured in a 
glass ring which is placed over the mercury surface in a glass 

petri dish. The rate of evaporation of the solvent is controlled 
by placing an inverted funnel over the petri dish. The film 
formation is noted by observing the mercury surface after 
complete evaporation of the solvent. The dry film is separated 
out and stored between the sheets of wax paper in desiccator 
until use. Free films of different thickness can be prepared by 
changing the volume of the polymer solution44-50. 

Future of transdermal drug delivery system  

Future aspects in transdermal drug delivery system include 
administration of drugs meant for transdermal delivery 
through liposomes, niosomes and micro emulsions. Aim of this 
development is to improve delivery of drug that has low 
inherent solubility in most of classical formulation excipients. 
A wide range of potential drugs for delivery like steroids, 
antifungal, antibacterial, interferon, methotrexate, local 
anesthetics are formulated for transdermal delivery. The 
market for transdermal patches has been estimated to 
increase in future and has recently experienced annual growth 
of at rate of 25%. This figure will increase in future as novel 
devices emerge and list of marketed transdermal drug 
increases. Transdermal delivery of analgesics is likely to 
continue to increase in popularity as there are further 
improvements in design. Research is being performed to 
increase safety and efficacy. To improve practical matters such 
as the experience for the wearer of the patch, and also to 
provide more precise drug delivery associated with increased 
duration of action. Other potential improvements include 
improved transdermal technology that utilizes mechanical 
energy to increase drug flux across the skin either by altering 
the skin barrier or increasing the energy of the drug 
molecules. After the successful design of patches using 
iontophoresis, various modesof ‘active’ transdermal 
technologies are being investigated for different drugs. These 
include electroporation (short electrical pulses of high voltage 
to create transient aqueous pores in the skin), sonophoresis 
(uses low frequency ultrasonic energy to disrupt the stratum 
corneum), and thermal energy (uses heat to make the skin 
more permeable and to increase the energy of drug 
molecules). Magnetic energy, magnetophoresis, has been 
investigated as a means to increase drug flux across the skin. 
The transdermal patch may be an underutilized tool for 
management of acute and chronic pain. With improved 
delivery and a wider range of analgesics, we expect the 
popularity and applicability of this modality to deliver drugs 
to increase. In current scenario, transdermal route of drug 
delivery system in comparison with oral treatment  is the most 
successful innovative research area in new drug delivery 
system, with around 40% of the drug delivery candidate 
products under clinical  trials related to transdermal or 
dermal system. The transdermal drug delivery systems  have 
been designed as an alternative, safest and easy route for 
systemic drug delivery. The systemic drug administration  
through skin holds several advantages such as  maintaining 
constant drug level in blood plasma, less number of side 
effects, and improvement of bio availability by circumventing 
hepatic firstpass metabolism and increase patient compliance 
with respect to drug regime used for treatment. In recent 
times, skin is considered as a safest port for drug 
administrationto provides continuous drug release into 
systemic circulation51. 

Conclusion 

Transdermal drug delivery is a painless, convenient, and 
potentially effective way to deliver regular doses of many 
medications. Wide range of drugs can be delivered improved 
drug uptake Minimal complications and side effects low cost 
and easy to use. Transdermal route of drug delivery system 
has been one of the advanced modes of drug delivery with 



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safety and good efficacy. There has been a lot of improvement 
in the process of transdermal route of drug delivery since its 
beginning years of 1981 to the current advancements till 
2022. This TDDS review articles provide valuable information 
regarding the transdermal drug delivery systems and the 
process of preparation of transdermal patches as a ready 
reference for the research scientist who is involved in TDDS.   

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