Proniosome powders proved to be the potential carriers for efficient oral delivery of lipophilic or amphiphilic drugs. Henceforth, an attempt was made to improve the oral delivery of valsartan by loading into maltodextrin based proniosome powders. The proniosome powders were prepared by varying the ratio of span 60 and cholesterol and evaluated for micromeritic properties and the results indicate acceptable flow properties. The formulation containing equimolar ratio of span 60 and cholesterol showed smaller vesicle size, high surface charge and entrapment efficiency. The formation of niosomes and surface morphology of optimized proniosome formulation was studied by optical and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. FT-IR, differential scanning calorimetry, and powder X-ray diffraction studies performed to understand the solid state properties of the drug reveal the absence of chemical interaction, drug transformation from crystalline to amorphous and molecular state. The in vitro dissolution study Carried out in both simulated gastric and intestinal fluid demonstrate improved dissolution characteristics compared to pure drug. The augment in permeation enhancement from proniosome formulation across rat intestine suggest the potential of proniosome carriers for improved oral delivery of valsartan. (C) 2011 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.