Current film coating designs for colon-targeted oral delivery

Colon-targeted oral delivery has recently attracted a substantial number of studies
on both systemic and local treatments. Among approaches for colonic delivery, film coatings
have been demonstrated as effective elements of the drug delivery systems because they can
integrate multiple release strategies, such as pH-controlled release, time-controlled release
and enzyme-triggered release. Moreover, coating layer modulations, natural film materials
and nanoparticle coatings have been vigorously investigated with promising applications. This
review aims to describe the primary approaches for improving drug delivery to the colon in
the last decade. The outstanding importance of current developments in film coatings will advance
dosage form designs and lead to the development of efficient colon-targeted oral delivery
systems.