Abuse Deterrent Dosage Forms: Approaches, Advantages and Limitations

Abstract

Background: Abuse-deterrent formulations (ADFs) are dosage forms designed to prevent or discourage the misuse of prescription drugs, particularly opioids. They achieve this aim by either minimizing the benefit of tampering with the dosage form or making it challenging to change this dosage form. Therefore, one of the priorities for public health is to develop dosage forms that have abuse-deterrent formulations. The escalation in the prescription of opioids has led to a surge in their abuse or misuse, resulting in a high mortality rate. Objectives: This review article explores drug abuse methods among addicted individuals and lists the most frequently abused drug classes. Furthermore, this review concentrates on understanding the most prevalent technologies used to deter abuse of prescribed opioid drugs. Methods: The search included online published databases from PubMed, Google Scholar, Research Gate, Science Direct, Elsevier, and others. The objective was to collect as much information as possible from articles using the keywords “abuse deterrent formulations and abuse deterrent technology." Conclusions: Physical-chemical barriers and agonist-antagonist formulations are available as marketed drugs as well as aversive agents’ formulations. Each of these types can inhibit or reduce specific cases of opioid misuse. Although the success of these products mostly relies on robust formulation strategies, it also requires a thorough understanding of their benefits and broad adoption in the market.