Purpose: The aim of the research is to develop Nevirapine tablets by direct compression method by improving solubility using solid dispersion technique.
Methodology: Nevirapine is anti-viral drug, which is used in the prevention and treatment of HIV infections. It belongs to class II drug in Bio-Pharmaceutical Classification System i.e. low solubility and high permeability. It has a biological half-life of 45 hours. One of the major problems with this drug is its low solubility in biological fluids, which results into poor bioavailability after oral administration. Here, solid dispersions of Nevirapine are prepared with different carriers such as Plasdone S-630 and Soluplus in order to increase its solubility and dissolution rate. By increasing the solubility of Nevirapine, its bioavailability can be increased. Pre-formulation studies regarding the drug-carrier interaction was carried out by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. Nevirapine solid dispersions were evaluated for solubility, drug content estimation and in vitro dissolution studies. Powder blend was evaluated for bulk density, tapped density, Carr's index, Hausner's ratio and angle of repose.
Findings: The dissolution pattern of the Nevirapine from all the standard dispersions followed predominantly first order kinetics. The study reflects the vital role of polymers as a novel approach to improve the solubility of nevirapine, which could minimize the variable dissolution rate with increase in bioavailability. With the studies conducted, the percentage drug release of Nevirapine was increased by melting method with Nevirapine: Plasdone S630 in the ratio of 1:2.
Practical implications: Nevirapine is a suitable drug to formulate into tablet by using the above mentioned carriers and may provide a better therapeutic profile than that of conventional dosage form.
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