Abstract: Fexofenadine hydrochloride is an antihistaminic agent used primarily for treatment of sudden allergic attacks. The drug has an extremely bitter unpleasant taste. The primary objective of the present communication is to mask the bitter taste of fexofenadine hydrochloride using ion exchange resin complexes and solid dispersion methods. Three resins Indion 204, 234 and 264 were used. While solid dispersions with Eudragit E 100 at various ratios were attempted. Evaluation parameters like drug release from complexes, taste evaluation, flow properties were studied. Complexes were characterized with the help of IR spectroscopy. The study revealed that the use of Indion 234 and Eudragit E100 in the ratio 1:1.5 offers taste masking of fexofenadine hydrochloride having satisfactory release and good flow properties.
Introduction
Taste is one of the most important parameter governing patient compliance. Oral administration of bitter drugs with an acceptable degree of palatability is a key issue for health care providers, especially for pediatrics.1
Various techniques are available for taste masking of bitter drugs like complexation with â-cyclodextrins and ion exchange resin, polymeric coating, salt formation and chemical modification, use of excipients like flavour and sweeteners.2
Ion exchange resins are water insoluble, cross linked high molecular weight polyelectrolytes. They contain salt forming groups in repeating positions on the polymer chain which exchange their mobile ion of equal charge with the surrounding medium reversibly and stochiometrically.3 The ion exchange resins are available in different size, crosslinkage and functionality making them suitable for different applications like stabilization of sensitive compounds, tablet disintegrants, sustaining the release and taste masking.4 Bitter cationic drugs get absorbed on to cation exchange resin with acidic functionally to form complex which is non bitter. |
