Prodrugs: past, present and future

Abstract

The design and preparation of prodrugs has become an important tool for improving deficient physicochemical, biopharmaceutical or pharmacokinetic properties of bioactive compounds. These unfavourable properties are one of the main drawbacks of the development of drug candidates into commercial drugs. In this article, the main strategies used in produg design are described, with emphasis on the most recent ones, by recourse to well-known and relevant examples.