Oral Thin Films As a Remedy for Noncompliance in Pediatric and Geriatric Patients

Abstract

Paediatric and geriatric patients experience swallowing difficulties for traditional oral dosage forms, such as tablets. Further, microbial contamination, chemical stability, unpleasant taste and swallowing large volumes of fluids have led to low therapeutic efficacy and patient noncompliance. The emergence of oral thin films has resulted in dramatic improvements in compliance and drug therapy outcomes in paediatric and geriatric patients. Oral thin films do not require water for administration, are readily hydrated upon contact with saliva, adhere to the mucosa and disintegrate ideally under one minute. This article provides an overview of oral thin films, modern trends in their formulation and characterisation, available commercial products, information to fill knowledge gaps and future potential and economic prospects of oral thin film technology, with emphasis on their use in the paediatric and geriatric patient groups.

The Impact of the Preparation Method on the Properties of Orodispersible Films with Aripiprazole: Electrospinning vs. Casting and 3D Printing Methods

“…They are characterized by a high flexibility of dose adjustment, easy and precise administration, and the ability to adhere to the oral mucosa, which makes them difficult to spit out. These features can be beneficial for pediatric, geriatric, and bedridden patients who have difficulties with swallowing, or psychiatric patients, pretending to take drugs [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. The major limitation of ODF is low drug loading capability [ 2 ].…”

“…ODFs are composed of water-soluble polymers, such as pullulan [ 11 , 12 ], poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) [ 6 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ] cellulose derivates (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose) [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ], or starch [ 21 , 22 ] in which an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and other excipients, such as plasticizers, taste-masking agents or surfactants are incorporated [ 4 , 23 ]. They can be manufactured using various methods, i.e., solvent casting, hot melt extrusion, electrospinning, or printing techniques, i.e., inkjet, flexographic, and 3D printing [ 2 , 24 ].…”

Quality by Design (Qbd) as a Tool for the Optimization of Indomethacin Freeze-Dried Sublingual Tablets: In Vitro and in Vivo Evaluation

“…Allows faster distribution of the drug through the bloodstream compared to that of orally administered drugs [6][7][8][9][10]. Freeze-dried sublingual tablets have attracted much attention from researchers as it offers tablets of high porosity which allows better exposure of the drug to the saliva in the mouth resulting in immediate disintegration and dissolution of the tablet when placed under the tongue [11][12][13][14][15][16].…”

The potential of ODFs as carriers for drugs/vaccines against COVID-19

“…The authors provided an overview on characterization of ODFs to determine various quality parameters of ODFs and also introduced a 3D printed disintegration test apparatus for testing the disintegration time of ODFs using sensor technology [35]. ODFs are capable for drug delivery in patients with swallowing problems, mentally retarded patients, subjects with Parkinson's disease, bed-ridden patients, oral cancer patients, and uncooperative patients [36][37][38]. The present review is focused on critically analyzing the potential of ODFs as carriers for delivering antiviral drugs/herbs/vaccines with a potential for treatment of COVID-19, the global pandemic.…”