FORMULATION AND IN-VITRO EVALUATION OF MOXIFLOXACIN OCULAR INSERTS

Objectives: Most ocular diseases are treated with topical applications of eye drops. After instillation of an eye drop, typically less than 5 % of the applied drug penetrates the cornea and reaches intraocular tissues, while a major fraction of the instilled dose is absorbed and enters the systemic circulation. The objective of present work is to improve ocular bioavailability and corneal contact time of a Moxifloxacin for better permeation through cornea. Methods: Five formulations were prepared by film casting method. Polyvinyl pyrrolidene, methyl cellulose and hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose were used as polymers. PEG 400 was used as plasticizer. Results: The release from the ocular inserts may be considered to follow zero order as evidenced from the regression coefficient (r2) value which is higher for MF4 (.9991).  The release from formulation code MF1 was found to be 80 % upto 24 hrs. The release from formulations MF2 and MF3 was 91.7 % and 92.10 % respectively within 24 hrs. The release from formulation 4 was 95.23% within 24 hrs. The release from MF5 was upto 60.73% within 24 hrs. The ocular inserts of formulation MF5 were hard and brittle. Conclusion: The formulation MF4 has the potential to formulate moxifloxacin ocular inserts. However in-vivo studies in animals and antimicrobial studies are required before this could be evaluated as an alternative to moxifloxacin eye drops