Design, physico-chemical assessment and pharmacokinetics of a non-toxic orodispersible film for potential application in musculo-skeletal disorder

Effects of Postprandial Factors and Second Meal Intake Time on Bioequivalence Investigation of Tadalafil-Loaded Orodispersible Films in Human Volunteers

Tadalafil (TD) has poor water solubility but is well absorbed without affecting food intake when administered orally. Owing to patient adherence and therapeutic characteristics, a TD-loaded orodispersible film (TDF) is preferable. However, the mechanistic role of dietary status on the clinical pharmacokinetic analysis of TDF in human volunteers should be investigated because the gastrointestinal environment varies periodically according to meal intervals, although commercial 20 mg TD-loaded tablets (TD-TAB, Cialis® tablet) may be taken with or without food. TDF was prepared by dispersing TD in an aqueous solution and polyethylene glycol 400 to ensure good dispersibility of the TD particles. In the fasting state, each T/R of Cmax and AUC between TD-TAB and TDF showed bioequivalence with 0.936-1.105 and 1.012-1.153, respectively, and dissolution rates in 1000 mL water containing 0.5% SLS were equivalent. In contrast, TDF was not bioequivalent to TD-TAB under the fed conditions by the Cmax T/R of 0.610-0.798. The increased dissolution rate of TDF via the micronization of drug particles and the reduced viscosity of the second meal content did not significantly affect the bioequivalence. Interestingly, an increase in second meal intake time from 4 h to 6 h resulted in the bioequivalence by the Cmax T/R of 0.851-0.998 of TD-TAB and TDF. The predictive diffusion direction model for physical digestion of TD-TAB and TDF in the stomach after the first and second meal intake was successfully simulated using computational fluid dynamics modeling, accounting for the delayed drug diffusion of TDF caused by prolonged digestion of stomach contents under postprandial conditions.

Xanthan-Polyurethane Conjugates: An Efficient Approach for Drug Delivery

The antifungal agent, ketoconazole, and the anti-inflammatory drug, piroxicam, were incorporated into matrices of xanthan or oleic acid-esterified xanthan (Xn) and polyurethane (PU), to develop topical drug delivery systems. Compared to matrices without bioactive compounds, which only showed a nominal compressive stress of 32.18 kPa (sample xanthan-polyurethane) at a strain of 71.26%, the compressive resilience of the biomaterials increased to nearly 50.04 kPa (sample xanthan-polyurethane-ketoconazole) at a strain of 71.34%. The compressive strength decreased to around 30.67 kPa upon encapsulating a second drug within the xanthan-polyurethane framework (sample xanthan-polyurethane-piroxicam/ketoconazole), while the peak sustainable strain increased to 87.21%. The Weibull model provided the most suitable fit for the drug release kinetics. Unlike the materials based on xanthan-polyurethane, those made with oleic acid-esterified xanthan-polyurethane released the active ingredients more slowly (the release rate constant showed lower values). All the materials demonstrated antimicrobial effectiveness. Furthermore, a higher volume of piroxicam was released from oleic acid-esterified xanthan-polyurethane-piroxicam (64%) as compared to xanthan-polyurethane-piroxicam (44%). Considering these results, materials that include polyurethane and either modified or unmodified xanthan showed promise as topical drug delivery systems for releasing piroxicam and ketoconazole.

Orally Dispersible Dosage Forms for Paediatric Use: Current Knowledge and Development of Nanostructure-Based Formulations

The paediatric population has always suffered from a lack of medicines tailored to their needs, especially in terms of accurate dosage, stability and acceptability. Orodispersible dosage forms have gone through a resurrection as an alternative to liquid formulations or fractioned solid formulations, although they are still subject to several inconveniences, among which the unpleasant taste and the low oral bioavailability of the API are the most significant hurdles in the way of achieving an optimal drug product. Nanostructures can address these inconveniences through their size and variety, owing to the plethora of materials that can be used in their manufacturing. Through the formation and functionalisation of nanostructures, followed by their inclusion in orodispersible dosage forms, safe, stable and acceptable medicines intended for paediatric use can be developed.