Preparation and evaluation of orally disintegrating tablets of taste masked phencynonate HCl using ion-exchange resin

Abstract

This study was intended to design an orally disintegrating tablet (ODT) formulation that can mask the extremely bitter and metallic taste of phencynonate HCl by novel ion-exchange resins. The drug–resin complexes (DRCs) were prepared and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. In vitro properties (dissolution, wetting time and disintegration time) and in vivo behavior (disintegration time and taste-masking effect) in healthy volunteers of the prepared ODTs were also investigated. The drug was changed from the crystal structure to the amorphous form in the DRC. Compared with commercial tablets, the in vitro and in vivo disintegration of optimized DRC-loaded ODTs with a drug-resin ratio of 1:1 was greatly improved and better palatability with a low bitterness index (0.33) was obtained. The current DRC-loaded ODT could promise a good way to mask the unpleasant taste of certain drugs and accordingly improve the patient compliance.

• Bitterness index
• ion-exchange resin
• orally disintegrating tablet
• phencynonate HCl
• taste masking

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr Yumei Zhao for her technical discussion and valuable suggestions in this manuscript.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article. This project was supported by the Important National Science & Technology Specific Projects (Grant No. 2012ZX09301003-001-009) and the State Key Laboratory of Antitoxic Drugs and Toxicology.