DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF EXTENDED RELEASE CEFUROXIME AXETIL FLOATING TABLETS WITH IMPROVED GI ABSORPTION

Oral drug delivery system represents one of the frontier area of controlled drug delivery system. Floating drug delivery system belongs to oral controlled drug delivery system group, which is capable of floating in the stomach for prolong period of time. The objective of the present research work is to provide a gastroretentive system for sustained release of therapeutically active agent, cefuroxime axetil in upper part of gastro-intestinal tract in the form of floating tablet. Cefuroxime axetil, an oral prodrug shows a bioavailablity of 30% to 40% when taken on fasting and 5% to 60% whentaken after food. The cefuroxim axetil esterase can hydrolyze cefuroximeaxetil to the nonabsorbable cefuroxim in the gut lumen and is therefore, suspected as a possible cause of incomplete bioavailability. Which suggests an absorption mechanism through the mucosa with limited capacity. Cefuroxime axetil had saturation kinetics that could be overcome by slow release of drug from the formulation, by incorporating cefuroxime axetil in sustained drug delivery system. Keywords: Floating drug delivery system, Cefuroxime axetil, Gastro-intestinal tractÂ