Orodispersible Films: A Systematic Patent Review.
BACKGROUND
Nowadays, Oral Film Technology (OFT) has gained much attention among all the oral drug delivery systems. Fast dissolving film, fast disintegrating film, and orodispersible film are some synonymous words for this dosage form. Without a need of liquid for administration, this dosage form dissolves in the mouth. Typically, fast dissolving film dissolves from 1 to 30 seconds.


OBJECTIVE
At the root of its originality, many researchers patented their work on the aspect of orodispersible films using different drugs, polymers, excipients and employing various methods of preparation. The review focuses on details related to orodispersible films and their patents from 1979-2017, collected from various sources like USPTO, Google patent, Espacenet, Intellectual Property India.


RESULTS
For the ease of discussion, collected patents are segregated on the basis of drugs, polymers, and method of preparation. It was found that many researchers are shifting towards fast dissolving films for better patient compliance, extended efficacy, high bioavailability, fast dissolution, and disintegration. With the help of polymers blend suitable for the drug release and improved method of preparation various parameters like tensile strength, thickness, and pH etc. can be controlled.


CONCLUSION
It was observed that judicial selection of polymers and polymers blends and methods of preparation are key parameters in the formulation of orodispersible film.
Concept of Orodispersible or Mucoadhesive “Tandem Films” and Their Pharmaceutical Realization
Orodispersible or mucoadhesive films as a patient-oriented dosage form for low-dosed drugs are usually produced using solvent casting. This paper presents a modification of the solvent casting technique that aimed to divide oral films into two or more compartments. The proposed objectives and fields of applications include improved handling properties and safety of application, the optimization of drug release kinetics and the enhancement of long-term stability when combining two or more active pharmaceutical ingredients into one oral film. A feasibility study for the combination of different film-forming polymers to generate the so-called tandem films was performed. As examples of practical implementation, orodispersible applicator films consisting of a drug-loaded section and a handheld piece were cast, and mucoadhesive buccal tandem films were cast to optimize the dissolution rate of the films.
Engineering Oral and Parenteral Amorphous Amphotericin B Formulations against Experimental Trypanosoma cruzi Infections.
Chagas disease (CD) is a parasitic zoonosis endemic in most mainland countries of Central and South America affecting nearly 10 million people, with 100 million people at high risk of contracting the disease. Treatment is only effective if received at the early stages of the disease. Only two drugs (benznidazole and nifurtimox) have so far been marketed, and both share various limitations such as variable efficacy, many side effects, and long duration of treatment, thus reducing compliance. The in vitro and in vivo efficacy of poly-aggregated amphotericin B (AmB), encapsulated poly-aggregated AmB in albumin microspheres (AmB-AME), and dimeric AmB-sodium deoxycholate micelles (AmB-NaDC) was evaluated. Dimeric AmB-NaDC exhibited a promising selectivity index (SI = 3164) against amastigotes, which was much higher than those obtained for licensed drugs (benznidazole and nifurtimox). AmB-AME, but not AmB-NaDC, significantly reduced the parasitemia levels (3.6-fold) in comparison to the control group after parenteral administration at day 7 postinfection. However, the oral administration of AmB-NaDC (10-15 mg/kg/day for 10 days) resulted in a 75% reduction of parasitemia levels and prolonged the survival rate in 100% of the tested animals. Thus, the results presented here illustrate for the first time the oral efficacy of AmB in the treatment of trypanosomiasis. AmB-NaDC is an easily scalable, affordable formulation prepared from GRAS excipients, enabling treatment access worldwide, and therefore it can be regarded as a promising therapy for trypanosomiasis.