Abstract

FAST DISSOLVING TABLETS: PATIENT COMPLIANCE DOSAGE FORMS

R. Santosh Kumar* and Ankita Ghosh

ABSTRACT

Recent advances in Novel Drug Delivery System (NDDS) aim to enhance safety and efficacy of already used drug molecule by formulating a convenient dosage form for administration and to achieve better patient compliance. To develop a chemical entity, a lot of money, hard work and time are required. So focus is rather being laid on the development of new drug delivery systems for already existing drugs, with enhanced efficacy and bioavailability, thus reducing the dose and dosing frequency to minimize the side effects. An oral route of drug administration is the most popular route of administration. It have wide acceptance up to 50-60% of total dosage forms. Tablet is the most popular dosage forms existing today because of its convenience of self-administration, compactness and easy manufacturing; however hand tremors, dysphasia in case of geriatric patients, patients with underdeveloped muscular and nervous responses in young individuals and case of contrary patients, the difficulty in swallowing is a common problem which results in poor patient compliance. Orodispersible tablets (ODT) or fast dissolving tablets (FDT); has been proven as alternative oral dosage forms. The fast dissolving drug delivery systems is a modification that came into existence in the early 1970’s and overcome the use of the tablets, syrups, capsules and the other oral drug delivery systems. These are novel types of tablets that disintegrate/dissolve/disperse in saliva within few seconds without uptake of water. Fast dissolving tablets (FDTs) have been in ever-increasing demand during the last decade, and the field is developing rapidly in the pharmaceutical industry. This article reviews the need, advantages, challenges, limitations, mechanism of superdisintegrants, various formulation technologies (conventional and patented), and marketed product of fast dissolving tablets.

Keywords: Fast Dissolving, Tablets, Superdisintegrants, Disintegration time, Patented Technologies.