An Overview of Biopharmaceutical Difficulties and Furosemide's Bioavailability Improvement

Abstract

For the treatment of edema and hypertension, furosemide is a commonly used loop diuretic; nonetheless, its oral administration is linked to a low and extremely variable bioavailability. Because of poor aqueous solubility, restricted intestinal permeability, and unpredictability related to absorption, a number of pharmacokinetic and biopharmaceutical investigations have revealed uneven therapeutic response after oral administration. Due to its classification as a Class IV medicine under the Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS), furosemide poses serious difficulties for oral drug delivery. Despite the comparatively restricted hepatic first-pass metabolism, reduced systemic availability is caused by presystemic variables like intestinal transport mechanisms, meal effect, and dissolutionlimited absorption. To get around these restrictions, a number of formulation-based and route-based techniques have been studied, including as solid dispersions, parenteral or mucosal delivery, and nanosystems. This review compiles the body of research to identify the main biopharmaceutical issues with furosemide and highlights strategies that have shown promise in enhancing its therapeutic consistency and bioavailability.