REVOLUTIONIZING DRUG DELIVERY: THE RISE OF ORODISPERSIBLE TABLETS

In the pharmaceutical industry oral route is considered as the safest and convenient route. Orodispersible tablets (ODTs) are solid dosage forms containing drugs that disintegrate in the oral cavity within less than 1 minute leaving an easy to swallow residue. These dosage form contains super disintegrants which imparts quick disintegration with presence of saliva and can be swallowed easily. ODTs are the very good choice for the paediatric and geriatric patients. To improve the bioavailability of many drugs, orodispersible drug delivery systems are used extensively. Advanced technologies used for manufacturing orodispersible tablets are by direct compression method, freeze drying method, sublimation method, mass extrusion and cotton candy process. Taste is the important factor because these tablets disintegrate directly in the mouth. Orodispersible tablets have a quality that disintegrates rapidly generally in seconds when put on the tongue because it contains mainly medicinal substances in the solid dosage form. This new odt technology is enhancing the patient life cycle and making a convenient dosing system for paediatric, geriatric, and psychiatric patients with dysphagia because it directly addresses the pharmaceutical and patient needs. This new technology encourages the academic industry to develop a newer orally disintegrating formulation and technology or evaluation methodology which is suitable for drug candidates for its future prospects.  The current article is focused on ideal characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, various technologies developed for ODT, evaluation methods along with recent research and future potential.

Keywords: orodispersible tablets, mechanism of disintegration, fast dissolving films, bioavailability, super disintegrants, orodispersible technologies.