A REVIEW ON ORAL THIN FILMS FOR SYSTEMIC DRUG DELIVERY

Oral thin film is novel dosage form of a fast dissolving drug delivery system. Oral thin film administer by sublingual or buccal route. This route is useful when rapid onset of action is required with better patient compliance. The absorption of drug through this route is directly enters into the systemic circulation via venous drainage to the superior venacava. The absorption of drug into the systemic circulation occurs by the passive diffusion, endocytosis or carrier mediated transport. This route is very effective to avoid hepatic first pass metabolism and helps to improve bioavailability. This formulation incorporate low amount of drug load (less than 50 mg) so, it helps in reduction of unwanted side effects. This formulation is required for the patients suffering from heart disease, epilepsy, asthma attack, emesis, migraine or mental disorder. The present article overviews the pharmaceutical factors considered in formulation design and development of oral thin film, such as lipophilicity, solubility, appearance and taste or dosage form, chemical stability and mechanical strength. This review will also focus on the physiological factors that affects the absorption of drug. The absorption of drug may influenced by flow of saliva, pH of the saliva, residence time of the oral thin film, molecular weight of drug and thickness of the oral epithelium. Keywords: Oral thin film, oral cavity, passive diffusion, endocytosis, lipophilicity