Formulation and Evaluation of Pimozide Buccal Mucoadhesive Patches

Abstract

Within the oral mucosal cavity, the buccal region offers an attractive route of administration for systemic drug delivery. Pimozide patches were prepared using HPMC (15 & 47 cPs), carbopol 934, poly vinyl alcohol, and poly vinyl pyrolidone. FTIR and UV spectroscopic methods revealed that there is no interaction between pimozide and polymers. The patches were evaluated for their thickness uniformity, folding endurance, weight uniformity, content uniformity, swelling behaviour, tensile strength, and surface pH. In vitro release studies of pimozide-loaded patches in phosphate buffer (pH, 6.6) exhibited drug release in the range of 55.32 % to 97.49 % in 60 min. Data of in vitro release from patches were fit in to different equations and kinetic models to explain release kinetics. The models used were zero and first-order equations, Hixon-Crowell, Higuchi and Korsmeyer-Peppas models. In vivo absorption of pimozide from all the patches ranged from 47.96 % to 83.42 % in 60 min in human volunteers. In vivo studies in rabbits showed 85.97% of drug absorption from HPMC-15 cPs patch in 60 min. Good correlation among in vitro release and in vivo absorption of pimozide was observed.