Drug delivery and pharmacokinetics have remained important components of
therapeutic and biomedical practice for many decades. In recent time, the world has witnessed
rapid progress in developments of different drug delivery protocols, especially as it regards the
use of degradable biopolymers. This became a viable research and economic venture with
parallel progress in inter-related fields of biomaterial science, biotechnology, nanotechnology
and pharmacology. Recent advances in material science, biomaterial development and tissue
engineering are changing the face of medicine in the present age. Biopolymers and drug
delivery systems offer the “ideal” conceptual framework for improving the efficacy of existing
drug formulations and developing new treatments. Interestingly, there are extensive researches
so far carried out in the area of biodegradable materials for controlled release of drug which
circumvents the need for removal of non-degradable drug-depleted devices. Many
biodegradable polymers have been evaluated for their suitability as matrix for drugs, including
polyesters, polycarbonates, natural and synthetic polyamides, phosphate esters,
polyphosphazenes and polyanhydrides. Current and novel drug delivery approaches involve
the application of these polymers in a variety of devices, including biodegradable polymer
shape-memory polymers, targeted nanoparticle conjugates and miniaturized drug delivery
devices. These approaches have greatly improved the delivery of drugs to target sites that
would have been ordinarily impossible by conventional therapeutic routes. In this chapter, we
will discus some key recent and relevant advances in the use of biopolymers for drug delivery.
Thereafter, the challenges still ahead will be presented. In all, biopolymers promise rewarding
prospects for the world in this 21st century and beyond.
