Polymers are versatile materials with wide use in several industry fields, such as engineering, textile, automobile, packaging and biomedical. In the pharmaceutical industry, both natural and synthetic polymers have been largely used with different applications for the development and production of cosmetics and traditional dosage forms and novel drug delivery systems. For instance, a number of polymers are used as fillers, lubricants, disintegrants, binders, glidants, solubilizers, and stabilizers in tablets, capsules, creams, suspensions or solutions. Additionally, biodegradable and bioadhesive polymers may play an important role in the development of novel drug delivery systems, especially for controlled drug release.

Polymeric microparticles have been studied and developed for several years. Their contribution in the pharmacy field is of utmost importance in order to improve the efficiency of oral delivery of drugs. As drug carriers, polymer-based microparticles may avoid the early degradation of active molecules in undesirable sites of the gastrointestinal tract, mask unpleasant taste of drugs, reduce doses and side effects and improve bioavailability. Also, they allow the production of site-specific drug targeting, which consists of a suitable approach for the delivery of active molecules into desired tissues or cells in order to increase their efficiency.