Shruti Parab

The essay is a short overview of the chemistry, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, clinical uses and the delivery aspects of calcitonin. It will deal with different routes of delivery of calcitonin with the focus lying primarily on the intra-nasal delivery and oral delivery of the hormone.  Calcitonin was initially administered as a subcutaneous/ intra-muscular injection and to overcome certain problems associated with these delivery routes such as patient compliance, inflammation at the site of injection, hypersensitivity reactions and stability of the formulation other routes of delivery are being explored and the most successful route of administration so far is the intra-nasal route. The essay will also give brief information of the nasal spray available in the market currently and the pump-system used for the intra-nasal delivery. The oral route of administration is also being dealt with in some detail as it is one of the most promising routes for delivery of calcitonin and other such peptide molecules and has a bright future. In vitro and in vivo research towards making a successful oral delivery formulation is being carried out and this essay gives a brief overview of some important areas studied so far.