Role of Microfluidics in Drug Delivery

In recent times, there has been rapid improvement and achievement in the development of novel drug delivery systems (NDDS) in a microfluidic environment. Microfluidics technology harnesses the fluid mechanics to generate the delivery systems with unique size and shape that can be used for various pharmaceutical applications. However, the conventional methods require bulky instruments, are expensive, consume more power, have a high thermal loss, and require more time. Further, it is very challenging to automate, integrate, and miniaturize the conventional device on a single platform for synthesizing nanoscale delivery systems. There has been considerable advancement in developing microfluidic devices in the last few decades for NDDS. The microfluidic device unveils several features such as portability, transparency in operation, controllability, and stability with a marginal reaction volume. The microfluidic-based delivery systems allow rapid processing and increased efficiency of the technique by using minimum peripherals for its operation. In this chapter, we have discussed the microfluidic devices used to prepare various formulations for several applications. This chapter summarizes the value chain to develop microfluidic devices, including designs, fabrication techniques, and other related methodologies, to formulate various pharmaceutical drug delivery systems in a controlled and selective manner.