Formulation and In vitro Evaluation of Loratadine Floating System Containing Hydrophobic Carrier Gelucire 43/01

Aim: The aim of the present study is to develop Loratadine floating lipid based drug delivery system for prolong gastric retention time and sustained drug release. Place and Duration of Study: KLE College of Pharmacy, Bengaluru Department of pharmaceutics, Between June 2024- March 2025. Methodology: The lipid based drug delivery systems were prepared by varying concentration lipid i.e., gelucire 43/01 and gelucire 50/13 and keeping drug ratio constant. The product thus produced, was investigated for physical characteristics including DSC, XRD, FT-IR and also for the In vitro release of drug from the carrier. Gelucire 43/01, a low-density hydrophobic carrier, facilitated buoyancy and contributed to the sustained release of the drug from the delivery systems. In contrast, Gelucire 50/13, a hydrophilic carrier with notable surface-active properties, improved drug solubility and wettability, thereby enhancing the dissolution rate in various formulations. Results: The % yield and drug content of different lipid based systems are estimated by UV Spectroscopy were found to range from 99.67 to 75.15% and 71.12 to 90.88 % respectively. Drug release of optimized formulation in pH 1.2 with zero lag time was found to be 56.17 ± 0.33% in 6 hours. From the DSC, FT-IR, and XRD analyses confirmed that Loratadine exhibited an amorphous nature within the lipid-based formulation, which contributed to an enhanced dissolution rate and the absence of significant interactions between the drug and the carrier was indicated by the compatibility studies. Conclusion: It can be concluded that F7 would be most suitable formulation which is likely to increase solubility and has stable release with zero lag time in stomach. Hence the floating lipid based drug delivery system can be effectively utilized to treat allergic rhinitis.