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Abstract
Microemulsions are clear, stable, isotropic mixtures of oil, water and surfactant,
frequently in combination with a cosurfactant. These systems are currently of interest
to the pharmaceutical scientist because of their considerable potential to act as
drug delivery vehicles by incorporating a wide range of drug molecules. In order to
appreciate the potential of microemulsions as delivery vehicles, this review gives
an overview of the formation and phase behaviour and characterization of microemulsions.
The use of microemulsions and closely related microemulsion-based systems as drug
delivery vehicles is reviewed, with particular emphasis being placed on recent developments
and future directions.