Acta Pharm. 66 (2016) 515-531

full paper

Original research paper

A dual strategy to improve psychotic patients' compliance using sustained release quetiapine oral disintegrating tablets

AHMED REFAAT, MAGDA SOKAR, FATMA ISMAIL and NABILA BORAEI

A.R.Ahmed@alexu.edu.eg; Ahmedref3at.ph@gmail.com

Pharmaceutics Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt

Accepted May 19, 2016

Published online June 7, 2016

Quetiapine (QT) is a short acting atypical antipsychotic drug effective in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. This study aims at designing a novel dosage form of sustained release taste-masked QT orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs) based on solid lipid micro-pellets (SLMPs). QT SLMPs were prepared using the hot melt extrusion technique utilizing three lipid carriers: Compritol, Precirol and white beeswax either alone or in mixtures. They showed sustained QT release and a taste masking effect. The selected QT SLMP was further blended with an aqueous solution containing polyvinylpyrollidone (2.5%), croscarmellose sodium (2%) and mannitol (50%); it was then lyophilized into ODT in a mass ratio of 1:2 respectively. ODTs containing QT SLMPs showed: average wetting time (40.92 s), average oral disintegration time (21.49 s), average hardness (16.85 N) and also imparted suitable viscosity to suspend pellets during lyophilization process. In conclusion, lyophilization is a promising technique for the formulation of multiparticulate systems into ODTs.

Keywords: solid lipid micro pellets, multiparticulate, quetapine, orally disintegrating tablets