PRO-DRUG DEVELOPMENT

Prodrugs are inactive, bioreversible drug derivatives that may transform to their parent drug within the body. Prodrugs were originally thought of as an option of last resort however, in nowadays, they are taken into consideration early in the drug development process. To be chemically stable, selective for an appropriate location in the body, and adequately safe, an ideal prodrug requires sufficient absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination (ADME) characteristics. While the goal of the traditional prodrug strategy is to enhance the physicochemical and biological drug qualities, modern prodrugs also incorporate cellular and molecular features in order to achieve site-specificity and the desired drug effect. Here, we discuss recently studied prodrugs, their benefits in medicine and therapy, and the difficulties in developing prodrugs as an entire phenomenon. In order to provide the most effective drug therapy and result, prodrugs can achieve the following goals: appropriate solubility, increased permeability, site-specific targeting (i.e., to organs, tissues, enzymes, or transporters), resistance to rapid drug metabolism, decreased toxicity, or improved patient compliance. All things considered, the prodrug development is an effective technique to improve overall drug therapy and reduce the time and costs associated with developing novel drug entities.