Chitosan macroporous membranes with asymmetric morphology were obtained by using an inorganic porogen agent (SiO2). Chitosan/silica ratios used were 1:1, 1:3, and 1:5 w/w. A methodology to obtain asymmetric membranes with control of porosity and average pore size was proposed. The porous membranes were obtained taking advantage of the opposite solubility characteristics of chitosan and silica (4-20 mu m). The membranes were characterized by SEM and water sorption capacity. The porosity was calculated by the relationship between dense and macroporous membranes. The SEM images of both surfaces and cross-section of the membranes confirmed their asymmetric morphology. Using a double-cell method, the permeability coefficients of two model drugs (sodium sulfamerazine and sulfametoxipyridazine) were determined. The effects of porous layer, drug type, concentration and temperature were evaluated. The results revealed that the increase in porosity results in significant differences in permeability and that the effects of drug concentration and bath temperature become less pronounced as porosity increases. The mass transport was analyzed in terms of pore-flow mechanism and the solution-diffusion mechanism. The results showed that the methodology was very efficient to yield asymmetric membranes with good mechanical resistance, control of porous size and dense layer thickness and that these membranes can potentially be used to the transport of drugs. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.