SOLUBILITY AND DISSOLUTION RATE ENHANCEMENT OF TELMISARTAN BY SOLID DISPERSION AND PELLETIZATION TECHNIQUES USING KOLLIDON VA 64 AS CARRIER

Objective: In the present investigation, an attempt was made to improve the surface characters and solubility of the drug by solid dispersion and coating it on the nonpareil sugar beads as pellets. Methods: Telmisartan solid dispersions were prepared by solvent evaporation technique using Kollidon VA64 as binder and solubility enhancer, Crospovidone as disintegrant and ethanol was used as the solvent. Telmisartan pellets were prepared by dissolving telmisartan, kollidonVA64, Crospovidone in ethanol in different ratios and coated on nonpareil sugar beads as a drug layer by pan coating technique. All the formulations were further evaluated for physicochemical parameters such as particle size, friability, angle of repose and drug content. In vitro dissolution studies were carried out in pH 7.5 phosphate buffer by using USP apparatus II. Results: It was observed that the dissolution rate of the solid dispersion formulation TSD5 showed a better dissolution rate to the extent of 1.113 folds and 1.979 folds when compared to a marketed formulation and pure drug, respectively. Similarly, the formulation TPL3containing 1:3 ratio of Telmisartan to Kollidon VA64 showed an improved dissolution rate to the extent of 1.150 folds and 2.045 folds when compared to the marketed formulation and pure drug, respectively. Majority of the formulations displayed first-order release kinetics and were found to be linear with R2 values in the range of 0.905 to 0.994. FTIR analysis and DSC analysis revealed that there was no major interaction between the drug and the excipients used in the design of the formulation. SEM analysis was performed for solid dispersions, pellet formulations and its polymers to determine the surface characteristics. Conclusion: From the present study, it was observed that the solubility of Telmisartan was enhanced by Kollidon VA 64 in pellet formulations when compared to solid dispersions