Fast Dissolving Tablets: A Strategy to Improve Solubility of Poorly Soluble Compounds

Tablet is the most popular among all dosage forms existing today because of its convenience of self administration, compactness and easy manufacturing; however hand tremors, dysphasia in case of geriatric patients, the underdeveloped muscular and nervous systems in young individuals and case of uncooperative patients, the problem of swallowing is common phenomenon which leads to poor patient compliance. To overcome these drawbacks, mouth dissolving tablets (MDT) or orally disintegrating tablets (ODT) has emerged as alternative oral dosage forms. These are novel types; of tablets that disintegrate/dissolve/ disperse in saliva within few seconds'. According to European Pharmacopoeia, the ODT should disperse/disintegrate in less than three minutes. The bioavailability of some drugs may be increased due to absorption of drugs in oral cavity and also due to pregastric absorption of saliva containing dispersed drugs that pass down into the stomach. Moreover, the amount of drug that is subject to first pass metabolism is reduced as compared to standard tablets.