Have you ever wondered if nail polish can be available in pharmacies? Yes, nail polish can be available in pharmacies but its medicated na...
Have you ever wondered if nail polish can be available in pharmacies? Yes, nail polish can be available in pharmacies but its medicated nail polish.
Generally, medicated nail polish is used to treat fungal infections in the nails. It is colorless so both mail and female can use it conveniently. It was first marketed in 1992.It generally contains anti-fungal medicines like; Ciclopirox, Amorolfine,etc. as active pharmaceutical ingredients along with film formers, resins, solvents, diluents, plasticizers and penetration enhancers. Medicated nail lacquers have maximal anti-fungal efficacy as a transungual drug delivery system.They are generally used for onychomycosis and psoriasis.Film on the nail surface acts as a drug "depot" that permits optimized and sustained diffusion of drug across the nail. After application, the solvent from the lacquer formulation evaporates leaving an occlusive film on the nail.
This increases the diffusion gradient and permeation through dense keratinized nail plates. It cannot be easily removed by rubbing and washing. It is patient friendly formulation with long lasting effect. Release and rate of diffusion can be optimized with preparation as compared to oral dosage form. It has minimal or no systemic side effects and also helps in reducing dose of anti-fungal medication. Nail lacquers containing drugs are an innovative type of dosage form and more research is still required to find and characterize new penetration enhancers and delivery vehicles.
References: Christi, J.M., Aundhia, C., Seth, A., Shah, N., Kondhia, D., & Patel, S.(2017). Review on Transungual Drug Delivery System. IAJPR , 7(8), 686-706
Sapana Subedi
17th Batch
SHAS, Pokhara University
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