Evaluation of Floating Drug Delivery Systems for Gastroretentive Applications

Floating Drug Delivery Systems (FDDS) offer a promising approach for enhancing the gastric retention time of orally administered drugs, especially those with a narrow absorption window in the upper gastrointestinal tract. This study aimed to formulate and evaluate FDDS tablets using different concentrations of hydrophilic polymers and gas-generating agents to ensure prolonged gastric residence and sustained drug release. Four formulations were prepared by direct compression and assessed for physical properties, buoyancy behavior, swelling index, drug content uniformity, and in vitro drug release over 12 hours. Among them, Formulation F4 demonstrated optimal performance, exhibiting the shortest floating lag time (25 seconds), longest floatation (>12 hours), highest swelling index (162%), and maximum cumulative drug release (96.7%). One-way ANOVA confirmed statistically significant differences in drug release and swelling index among the formulations (p < 0.05). The study highlights the effectiveness of polymeric composition in designing robust gastroretentive delivery systems and supports their potential for improving the bioavailability of drugs with limited absorption in the lower GI tract.