Taste-masked and affordable donepezil hydrochloride orally disintegrating tablet as promising solution for non-compliance in Alzheimer’s disease patients

Abstract

Context: Manufacturing process and superdisintegrants used in orally disintegrating tablet (ODT) formulation are often time discussed. However, the effect of suitable filler for ODT formulation is not explored thoroughly.

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a novel taste masked and affordable donepezil hydrochloride ODT with fast disintegration time and stable to improve medication compliance of Alzheimer’s disease patient.

Methods and materials: The ODT was manufactured using simple wet-granulation method. Crospovidone XL-10 was used as superdisintegrant and optimization was done by comparing the effect of three grades of lactose monohydrate compound as filler: Starlac®, Flowlac® and Tablettose®.

Results and discussion: Formulations containing higher amount of colloidal silicon dioxide showed increase in hardness, weight, disintegration time and wetting time after stability study. Formulation E which containing 50% of Starlac® was found with shortest in vitro disintegration time (21.7 ± 1.67 s), in vivo disintegration time (24.0 ± 1.05 s) and in vitro disintegration time in artificial salvia (22.5 ± 1.67 s). Physical stability studies at 40 °C/75% RH for 6 months, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis and X-ray diffraction results showed that the formulation was stable. The drug-released profile showed that 80% of donepezil hydrochloride was released within 1 min. A single-dose, fasting, four-period, seven-treatment, double-blinded study involving 16 healthy human volunteers was performed to evaluate the palatability of ODT. Formulation VII containing 10 mg of ammonium glycyrrhizinate was able to mask the bitter taste of the drug.

Conclusion: The product has the potential to be commercialized and it might serve as solution for non-compliance among the Alzheimer’s disease patients.

• Donepezil HCl
• Flowlac
• non-compliance
• orally disintegrating tablet
• Starlac
• Tablettose

Acknowledgements

Authors would like to thank Institute of Postgraduate Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, for providing Fellowship.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.