Formulation Development and Evaluation of Fast Dissolving Oral Films of Alprazolam

Fast dissolving oral films provide convenient, safe and simple way of drug administration. Moreover they offer improved patient compliance due to straightforward and non-invasive nature. The aim of current research was to develop fast dissolving oral films of alprazolam for treatment of anxiety disorders. Films were developed by solvent casting method using HPMC (Hydroxypropyl Methyl Cellulose) as film former and PEG (Polyethylene Glycol) as plasticizer. All formulation (F1- F12) were assessed for various parameters including thickness, tackiness, percent elongation, folding endurance, tensile strength, contact angle, transparency, content uniformity, disintegration and dissolution times. The thickness of optimized formulation was found to be 65µm and the Tensile strength, Percent elongation, Folding Endurance, Transparency, contact angle, Assay content uniformity, Disintegration Time and Dissolution for optimized formulation were found to be 5.38%, 45%, 290 times, 100.1%, 180o, 98.65%, 20 seconds and 106.6% respectively. Drug release studies displayed 106.60% release of total drug content after time duration of 1.813 minutes. The results of the study concluded that newly developed fast dissolving film of alprazolam have potential to provide fast delivery of the drug and thereby enhanced patient compliance.