Fast Disintegrating Buccal Film Development

Fast disintegrating buccal film is a new type of solid immediate-release formulation that can be disintegrated quickly in saliva only and is used for convenient drug delivery through rapid delivery, a fast and effective way of drug delivery. Due to its unique properties, more and more studies on fast-dissolving buccal films have been conducted in recent years and have become a major hotspot. The development of fast-dissolving buccal films has great prospects in the pharmaceutical field.

CD Formulation's fast disintegrating buccal film development services offer an effective alternative to traditional drug delivery methods. Our rapid disintegrating buccal films offer a fast, efficient, and patient-friendly alternative. Our commitment to excellence ensures that our fast disintegrating buccal film development process and services meet the highest standards, contributing to advancing pharmaceutical solutions for diverse therapeutic needs.

Advantages of Fast Disintegrating Buccal Film

• Easy to take, with very high compliance. Rapidly disintegrating buccal film disintegrates quickly in the mouth without swallowing difficulty, which is suitable for the elderly and young children. Moreover, for some special patients such as patients with mental disorders, Rapid Disintegrating Buccal Film can be a good solution to this problem.
• Less irritation to the esophagus and gastrointestinal mucosa. The fast disintegrating buccal film can be absorbed before reaching the gastrointestinal tract or disintegrate into fine particles, increasing the distribution and absorption of the drug in the gastrointestinal tract, which greatly reduces the irritation of the drug to the esophagus and gastrointestinal mucosa.
• The small hepatic first-pass effect, high bioavailability. Rapidly disintegrating buccal film is small in size and disintegrates rapidly in the oral cavity. The drug can be designed to be absorbed through the oral mucosa, which reduces the hepatic first-pass effect and improves the bioavailability.

Our Process of Fast Disintegrating Buccal Film Development

Formulation Design Phase

We achieve the desired buccal film properties by selecting the right polymer, plasticizer, and active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). At the same time, factors such as drug solubility, stability, and bioavailability need to be considered. The choice of polymer plays a key role in characterizing the mechanical and drug release properties of the buccal membrane, while the plasticizer enhances flexibility and prevents brittleness.

Development phase

During the drug development phase, we actually produce the buccal film by using appropriate manufacturing techniques to ensure uniform drug distribution and consistent film thickness. For example, during the cast film process, we form a thin, pliable film by applying the formulation to the substrate and subsequently drying it to form a thin, pliable film. In addition, we need to repeatedly tune to determine accuracy in order to obtain reproducible results.

Pilot stage

In this phase, we focus on the critical phase of rapid disintegration of buccal mucosal performance testing and safety assessment. In performance testing, we perform various tests including disintegration time, tensile strength, and drug release studies to evaluate the performance of the buccal mucosa. Safety assessment involves a thorough examination of the buccal mucosa for potential adverse reactions.

Upon completion of the above development phases, we scale up the manufacturing process to commercial production, through which we finally deliver satisfactory project development results to our customers.

Applications of Fast Disintegrating Buccal Film Development

• Pain management. Fast disintegrating buccal film allows for the quick delivery of analgesic drugs through the buccal mucosa. This is particularly beneficial for patients who may have difficulty swallowing or require immediate relief.
• Mental illness medications. For example, among patients with major depressive disorder (MMD), approximately one-third of those with major depression fail to achieve remission or relief, resulting in treatment-refractory depression (TRD). The rapidly dissolving films can contribute to higher acceptability and compliance in vulnerable patients, especially psychiatric patients.
• Pediatric and geriatric medication. The pediatric population is often challenged by traditional drug delivery methods. Fast disintegrating buccal film offers a child and geriatric friendly solution that makes it easier for caregivers to accurately and comfortably administer medications.

Figure 1. Photos of the disintegration of (a) blank fibers, and (b) drug-loaded fibers. (Alkahtani ME, et al,. 2021)

Highlights of Our Fast Disintegrating Buccal Film Development Services

• Experienced technical team. Our technical team all have many years of drug development experience.
• Advanced drug development platform. We have a strict drug development environment, high-tech instruments and equipment, and a complete experimental platform.
• Customized solutions. Our customers develop personalized experimental plans to meet customer requirements to the greatest extent.

CD Formulation has grown to be an industry leader in oral thin films drug delivery R&D, which greatly assists our clients in accomplishing difficult drug discovery and development services. If you are interested in us, please feel free to contact us.

Reference

1. Alkahtani ME, et al. Fabrication and Characterization of Fast-Dissolving Films Containing Escitalopram/Quetiapine for the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder. Pharmaceutics. 2021;13(6):891.