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Microsponges are the spherical particles ranging from 5 to 300 μm in size. These are further made up of clusters of smaller spheres. They are designed for delivering the drug efficiently at a comparatively lesser dose and enhancing the stability, modifying the drug release profile and minimizing the side effects. Microsponge drug delivery system decrease transdermal invasion of the active ingredient into the skin while increasing the time the drug remains on the skin surface or within the epidermis. Preparation of the microsponges includes two techniques: Liquid–liquid suspension polymerization and Quasi‐emulsion solvent diffusion method. Their characterization and evaluation can be done in many ways like particle‐size measurement and porosity, morphology, true density determination, analyzing the rheological properties, and dissolution studies. Present work focuses on the detailed study of the microsponge drug delivery system. This will help the reader to get all the information regarding the microsponge delivery systems.

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IntroductionPatient access schemes (PAS) are agreements that may enable patients to access drugs or other treatments that may not be cost effective under normal circumstances. The aim of this study was to determine whether the use of PAS by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) for recommended drugs can lead to greater access to medications for rare diseases.MethodsReimbursement data for rare diseases between 2004 and 2021 from health technology assessment (HTA) agencies, namely the SMC (Scotland) and NICE (England), were included. The reviews with positive HTA decisions were considered, while those with negative decisions were excluded. Several observations were made from these data and reported.ResultsAmong the total positive reviews (n = 81), 43 included PAS. The inclusion of PAS in manufacturer submissions was more frequent for NICE than for the SMC (79% and 40% percent, respectively). Most of the drugs with PAS were included in the HTA guidance from both agencies. The positive NICE reviews contingent on PAS consisted of 20 drugs. For the same set of drugs, the SMC recommended 14 with PAS and one without PAS; five drugs were not assessed. Adalimumab was recommended by NICE with a PAS (base-case incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of GBP12,336 [EUR14,256]; GBP13,676 [EUR15,804]) and by the SMC without a PAS (base-case incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of GBP22,519 [EUR26,023]). Hence, without a PAS, the drug was costlier per quality-adjusted life-year for the National Health Service (NHS) Scotland.ConclusionsPAS submissions for rare diseases are more frequent for NICE than for the SMC. With the PAS discounts, the overall cost of the drugs is reduced, resulting in cost effectiveness. The SMC approved some drugs for which NICE required a PAS to improve the economic argument. Hence, the use of PAS for these drugs could lead to potential cost-savings to the NHS Scotland.