Bucco-adhesive drug delivery systems

Abstract

All researchers in the field of pharmacy, and particularly pharmaceutics, always have patient compliance as their top research priority. Currently, there is a lot of researches being done to develop and manufacture a drug delivery system that is safer, more effective, and more patient-compliant. One of those delivery systems is the buccal film dosage form. Fast dissolving films bypass the hepatic system and deliver therapeutic effect/response, making them more palatable and accurate oral dosage forms. Oral films can take the place of over-the-counter (OTC) medications, due to consumer preference and inexpensive cost. When applied in the oral cavity, a fast-dissolving film quickly becomes hydrated, adheres to the application site, and then dissolves to release the drug. The current review gives a comprehensive overview of the polymers often used in drugs belonging to BCS Classes I through IV as well as factors influencing absorption. For the drugs belonging to BCS Class II and BCS Class III, solubility and permeability are the rate limiting step during the formulation of oral fast dissolving film. Furthermore, this review gives a brief account about the manufacturing methods of oral films.