Abstract

GASTRORETENTIVE DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS: A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW

Digambar N. Nalwad*, Ashish A. Uppe, Kishor L. Pere, Amol V. Dange, Mukund C. Bharade and Vijaykumar Gupta

Abstract

Recent technologies and scientific research has been devoted to the development of suitable dosage form keeping in mind maximum utilization of drug, minimizing wastage and avoiding side effect of drug to be administered. In the same way to formulate dosage form to be administered orally and make drug available in stomach or upper part of GI tract, gastroretentive drug delivery system can be a good approach. Differences in gastric physiology such as gastric pH and motility exhibit both intra and inter subject variability demonstrating significant impact on gastric residence time and drug delivery behaviour. This triggered an increased interest towards formulation of novel delivery systems which retained in the stomach for prolonged and predictable period of time. Several approaches such as floating drug delivery systems (FDDS), swelling and expanding systems, bioadhesive systems, modified shape systems, high density systems or other delayed gastric emptying devices have been discovered till now. FDDS are of particular interest for drugs that are locally active and have narrow absorption window in stomach or upper small intestine, unstable in the intestinal or colonic environment, and exhibit low solubility at high pH values. This article highlights all the key points related to gastroretentive drug delivery system, approaches available, factors affecting gastric retention, advantages and disadvantages of gastroretentive drug delivery system its evaluation test and applicability.

Keywords: Floating drug delivery systems, Gastric residence time, Swelling index, Buoyancy.