FORMULATION TECHNIQUES OF FLOATING MICROBEADS IN MANAGEMENT OF HYPERTENSION

Hypertension is a chronic condition requiring continuous drug therapy, but standard drug modes are still mostly limited due to the rapid gastric emptying that causes variable pharmacokinetics. Floating microbeads, multi particulate gastro retentive systems, are drug delivery devices designed to prolong the gastric retention time and hence improve the bioavailability of drugs. They also provide a sustained release of antihypertensive drugs having absorption windows in the upper GI tract. This paper reviews various formulations and evaluations of the systems with the help of different polymers. This review focuses on formulation techniques such as ionotropic gelation, spray drying, formation and key performance parameters. However, great difficulties still exist in clinical translation from animal studies which have shown increased pharmacokinetic profiles. These include physiological variability, inconsistent fed state performance and manufacturing scalability. In vitro trials of thorough promise have been met by the analysis with the reality that physiological and regulatory hurdles have to be overcome before floating microbeads in hypertension can be a clinical reality.