Modern Aspects of Suppositories: A Review

Abstract

Suppositories are an underutilized dosage form. Suppositories are such types of dosage forms used to provide medication via the vaginal and rectal routes. Vaginal suppositories are commonly referred to as pessaries. It was developed from a formulation called Liquid Enema. Enema has a great disadvantage in that, it used to leak out of the cavity in which they were put. So, this led to the discovery of suppositories as an alternative method of medication. Suppositories can be described as semi-solid dose forms utilized to provide medications for therapeutic action via rectal, vaginal, or urethral routes, where they will melt or dissolve and deliver localized or systemic impact. It is composed of cocoa butter, PEG, and fatty base (and a few others) as main ingredients, and it comes in different shapes and sizes. Although suppositories were formulated it was not that stable inside the orifices and also used to draw out of it. So, in order to overcome the problem of leaking, researchers added some mucoadhesive substance to improve its stability. From here onward improvement in the suppositories started as an alternative medication other than oral dosage form. The current article aimed to fabricate descriptive information about the advancement of suppositories. These advancements are Bi-layered Suppositories, Homogeneous Plain Suppositories, Hollow Suppositories, Effervescent Suppositories, Gel suppositories, Sustained Release Suppositories, etc.