Codrug: an efficient approach for drug optimization

Abstract

Codrug or mutual prodrug is an approach where various effective drugs, which are associated with some drawbacks, can be modified by attaching with other drugs of same or different categories directly or via a linkage. More appropriately one can say combining two different pharmacophores with similar or different pharmacological activities elicit synergistic action or help to target the parent drug to specific site/organ/cells respectively. This approach is commonly used to improve physicochemical, biopharmaceutical and drug delivery properties of therapeutic agents.