Dear Colleagues,

A significant challenge in drug formulation in the pharmaceutical industry is poor aqueous solubility, a characteristic exhibited by nearly 40–60% of all newly developed drugs. The concept of self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDSs) was established during the 1960s when compounds of poor aqueous solubility were combined into mixtures with lipophilic and hydrophilic excipients to enhance their solubility. However, these thermodynamically unstable systems were only indicated in 1985 as the first tangible solution for advancing lipophilic drug delivery, and consequently bioavailability, via the oral route. Despite several decades being devoted to SEDDS and, more specifically, self-nanoemulsions, as well as their routes of delivery, pharmaceutical commercial products utilizing these delivery systems are still quite limited.

Moreover, according to the WHO, in many developing countries such as in Africa, political and economic stability is deteriorating, compromising numerous medical treatments of especially diseases of poverty that normally necessitate using lipophilic drugs. This correlation between these ailments and poverty is often a malicious cycle. Currently, poverty-related diseases are the leading cause of death in children and adolescents. They directly affect the most susceptible population, ensuing in a continued risk to global health. Furthermore, factors such as a high tablet count, poor tolerability of the drugs, and adverse effects increase non-adherence in patients. Thus, developing drug delivery systems, such as self-nanoemulsions, that are able to overcome drug absorption limitations, and that are also economically feasible, may not only meaningfully improve the subsequent bioavailability of these drugs but also enhance patient compliance and deter drug resistance.

This Special Issue is a salute to self-nanoemulsion research, embracing both fundamental and applied facets that support the present diversity of emulsions in pharmaceutical sciences and technology.

We are particularly interested in contributions in the following categories, relevant to self-nanoemulsion formulation optimization, characterization, and delivery strategies, namely:

• Recent advances in the creation of novel self-nanoemulsion systems;
• Self-nanoemulsion development and formulation optimization;
• Improved quality and functionality;
• Specialized excipients for solubilization and stabilization;
• Characterization and stability control;
• Emulsion rheology;
• Drug release and bioavailability.

Dr. Joe Viljoen
Dr. Marius Brits
Prof. Dr. Richard Haynes
Guest Editors

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• emulsions
• self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems
• formulation strategies
• formulation optimization
• emulsion stability
• drug solubility
• alternative routes of drug administration
• drug delivery
• drug release kinetics
• surface active agents