Drug-Nutraceuticals Cocrystals: Advancing Biopharmaceutical and Therapeutic Performance

A drug molecule's physicochemical attributes like its bulk characteristics, solubility, dissolution, mechanical properties and stability are critical determinant of their bioavailability and therapeutic performance, yet often pose serious challenges during formulation development. Cocrystallization offers a unique approach to address these challenges by forming crystalline complexes of an Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) with a suitable conformer, typically a Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) compound, in a defined stoichiometric ratio. Unlike salt forms, cocrystals are stabilized by interactions that are non-covalent in nature, like van der Waals forces, hydrogen bonds and π-π stacking, enabling modulation of key drug properties including solubility, permeability, dissolution, compressibility and stability. Nutraceuticals have emerged as promising conformers, offering dual benefit of altering physicochemical properties of API while also providing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. This review highlights recent advances in the design, synthesis and characterization of drug-nutraceutical cocrystals. Exploring the ongoing formulation development and approved market products, the review highlights the potential of drug-nutraceutical cocrystals in advancing personalized medicine.