Co-crystals in Pharmaceutics: Enhancing Solubility and Stability

Pharmaceutical cocrystals are multicomponent crystalline systems in which at least one component is an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), and the others are pharmaceutically acceptable coformers. Cocrystallization of an API with a coformer is an innovative and promising strategy for enhancing the performance of pharmaceutical formulations, particularly in terms of solubility, dissolution rate, pharmacokinetics, and stability. This review provides a comprehensive overview of pharmaceutical cocrystals, including various preparation techniques, their physicochemical properties, and practical applications. Additionally, it highlights several examples of drug cocrystals to demonstrate how crystal structures can influence key aspects of active pharmaceutical ingredients, such as physical and chemical stability, mechanical properties, optical characteristics, bioavailability, sustained release, and overall therapeutic effect. This review aims to offer valuable insights for the efficient design and development of pharmaceutical cocrystals with tailored physicochemical properties and applications.