Design and Characterization of Gastro-Retentive Floating Tablets of Alendronic acid

Objectives: Preparation of gastro-retentive floating tablets of Alendronic Acid by direct compression method polymers or combination of these. Methods: In this study, Alendronic acid, the most commonly used bisphosphonate for treating osteoporosis, was formulated as gastro retentive dosage form (GRDF) tablets to enhance its oral bioavailability. A prolonged dissolution profile of Alendronic acid GRDF tablets developed in this study was observed for its thickness, friability, hardness, drug content and in-vitro drug release. The evaluation of pre-compressional parameters for granules were performed. Conclusion: It can be concluded that these dosage forms serve the best in the treatment of diseases related to the GIT and for extracting a prolonged action from a drug with a short half life. Formulated Floating tablets of Alendronic acid gave satisfactory results for various physicochemical parameters like hardness, friability, thickness, weight variation and content uniformity. Sodium bicarbonate has predominant effect on the buoyancy lag time, while HPMC K15M has predominant effect on total floating time and drug release.