Abstract

FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF BILASTINE LIQUISOLID COMPACTS

Dr. C. Pandian*, Dr. A. Abdul Hasan Sathali and R. Arun

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to improve the dissolution rate of bilastine, a poorly soluble drug used to treat allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and urticaria, by utilizing the liquisolid technique. Liquisolid compacts were prepared using Polyethylene glycol 400 as a non-volatile solvent, Avicel PH102 as a carrier, and Aerosil 200 as the coating material. Various concentrations of bilastine in the non-volatile vehicle and different excipient ratios were tested. The prepared liquisolid powders exhibited good flow properties. The powders were then mixed with a superdisintegrant and compressed into tablets. These tablets underwent evaluation for hardness, friability, content uniformity, disintegration time, and dissolution rate. The results showed that the formulated liquisolid compacts had acceptable flowability and compressibility. They also demonstrated significantly improved drug release compared to the directly compressed formulation. Among the different tablet formulations, F15 exhibited the highest dissolution rate, attributed to enhanced wetting properties and increased drug surface exposure. FTIR analysis indicated no drug-excipient interaction, ensuring compatibility. DSC analysis revealed that bilastine was molecularly dispersed and in an amorphous form in the final formulation. Powder X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed the absence of characteristic drug peaks, indicating complete conversion to an amorphous or solubilized state. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the liquisolid technique effectively enhanced the dissolution rate of bilastine. These findings suggest that the liquisolid approach is a promising strategy for improving the solubility and dissolution properties of poorly soluble drugs like bilastine in pharmaceutical formulations.

Keywords: bilastine, liquisolid compacts, carrier, coating, superdisintegrant.