Green Drug Delivery Technologies: Design, Development, and Applications

Technologies of green drug delivery are rapidly poised as a viable path towards making therapeutic innovation in tandem with environmental responsibility. The review is a synthesis of advances in the areas of green design principles, sustainable materials, system architecture and manufacturing strategies that reduce solvent toxicity, material persistence and energy requirements without negatively affecting performance. Key green material classes discussed include biodegradable polymers, natural and bio-based excipients, and greener solvent/renewable feedstock approaches that support safer degradation and improved biocompatibility. Sustainable system designs spanning nanoparticles/nanocarriers, lipid–polymer platforms, and stimuli-responsive or targeted systems are highlighted for their ability to enhance bioavailability, improve site-specific delivery, and reduce dose burden across oral, topical/transdermal, and parenteral applications. The review also examines safety-by-design considerations, emphasizing integrated cytotoxicity testing, biocompatibility screening, and environmental hazard assessment supported by standardized in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo methods. Some of the current challenges to translation consist of scale-up that can be reproduced, process control, cost limitation, and changing regulatory requirements of lifecycle and environmental safety evidence. The trends are emerging toward intelligent multi-capability green platforms and increased incorporation with the ability to personalize using nanotechnology. Altogether, the development of green drug delivery will demand scalable low-energy production, an effective safety framework, and clinically meaningful sustainability measures in order to help implement in pharmaceutics.