Samyu Y's Senior Project Blog

Project Title:  Analyzing the Efficacy of Utilizing Co-Solutions to Lower the Bioavailability of Propranolol BASIS Advisor: Ms. Ainslie Internship Location: Interdisciplinary Sciences and Technology Building 1 ASU Onsite Mentor: Dr. Jeffery Yarger

Project Abstract

Currently, one of the biggest problems according to American voters is the price of pharmaceuticals. According to a poll conducted by the KFF, an independent source for health policy research, around 60% of Americans are taking prescription medications and 65% of Americans are worried about their ability to afford them. (Sparks 2024) Based on such data, it is reasonable to conclude that Americans want their medications to be cheaper as current costs are not affordable to many in the country. A potential factor to the high cost of modern drugs is that they often suffer from the problem of a low bioavailability. Bioavailability is defined as “level of absorption of the active substance … and the speed at which it is absorbed from the form administered to the patient through the bloodstream”, therefore drugs with a low bioavailability either are not absorbed well into the body. This is significant because it means that pharmacies must administer drugs in higher amounts which means the patient is paying more. It is important to examine the physical reason behind why a drug’s bioavailability might be lower. According to Dr. Le of the Skagg school of Medicine, “Low bioavailability is most common with oral dosage forms of poorly water-soluble, slowly absorbed drugs.”, thus poor water-solubility is the biggest factor behind the low bioavailability problem. The method I am planning to use for my methodology is to utilize a procedure called co-solvents. The way co-solutions work is by adding a solution to the drug which leads to a force called London Dispersion Force becoming stronger as more hydrogen atoms exist causing the overall polarity of the molecule to become higher. My method is to mix the drug Propranolol with several different solutions. Then run the co-solution through an NMR machine to help determine solubility, and therefore any increases in it, before performing the shake-flask method to confirm my findings. Hopefully, this experiment will help to lower the costs for many Americans, allowing them to spend more on other vital parts of their lives.