Development and Evaluation of Floating Drug Delivery Systems for Enhanced Gastric Retention and Controlled Drug Release

Floating Drug Delivery Systems (FDDS) are a promising method for enhancing the gastric residence time of orally administered drugs with a limited absorption window, limited solubility in an alkaline medium, or local action in the stomach. This research is a preparation and assessment of a floating tablet system to offer extended gastric residence time and drug release.Preparation was made employing a model drug of established gastric absorption characteristics, hydrophobic and hydrophilic polymers (e.g., HPMC and ethyl cellulose), and effervescent materials (sodium bicarbonate and citric acid) for floating. Direct compression method was employed for tablet formulation, and pre-compression and post-compression parameters such as hardness, friability, content of active ingredient, floating lag time, total floating time, and in-vitro release of active ingredient were determined. The optimized drug delivery system showed a lag time of less than 60 seconds and floatation for more than 12 hours. In-vitro release studies exhibited a sustained release pattern, and release of around 92% of the drug was found in 12 hours. Kinetic modeling showed that the release conformed to the Higuchi model of non-Fickian diffusion. Briefly, the FDDS prepared showed improved gastric retention and sustained drug release, indicating its potential in improving therapeutic effect and patient compliance. Additional in vivo studies are needed to validate these in vitro findings.(32)