Abstract

REVIEW ON MOUTH DISSOLVING FILM

Azam Z. Shaikh*, Sandip A. Tadavi, Manashi P. Valavi, Sunil P. Pawar and Mr. H. D. Mahajan

ABSTRACT

Fast-dissolving drug-delivery systems were first developed in the late 1970s as an alternative to tablets, capsules, and syrups for pediatric and geriatric patients who experience difficulties swallowing traditional oral solid- dosage forms. Fast dissolving films have become a novel approach to oral drug delivery system as it provides convenience and ease of use over other dosage forms such as orally disintegrating tablets, buccal tablets and sublingual tablets, so mouth dissolving films are gaining the interest of large number of pharmaceutical industries. Buccal drug delivery has lately become an important route of drug administration. But many of the patients (pediatric and geriatric) are unwilling to take solid preparations due to fear of choking. This has made the pharmaceutical industry look for alternative routes of drug delivery like film drug delivery. Fast dissolving oral drug delivery systems have started gaining popularity and acceptance as new drug delivery systems, because they are easy to administer, better patient compliance, rapid drug absorption and sudden-onset of drug action with instant bioavailability is possible. Formulation of mouth dissolving films involves both the visual and performance characteristics as plasticized hydrocolloids, API taste masking agents are being laminated by solvent casting and semisolid casting method. Solvent casting method being the most preferred method over other methods because it offers great uniformity of thickness and films prepared having fine glossy look and better physical properties. Mouth dissolving films are evaluated for its various parameters like thickness, physical property like folding endurance, disintegration and dissolution time. Present review provides an account of various formulation methods and their evaluation used in film formulations and applications of mouth dissolving films.

Keywords: Mouth dissolving films, polymer, plasticizer, solvent casting, Buccal drug delivery, Formulation, Evaluation.