Formulation and Evaluation of Ethyl Cellulose Coated Microspheres of Aceclofenac

The pain is symptomatic of some form of dysfunction and resultant inflammatory processes in the body. More than 15% of the worldwide population suffers for instance from some form of osteoarthritis and this incidence is even higher in elderly. As the world population is grows older, this incidence will continue to rise. Aceclofenac has been shown to have potent analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities and due to its preferential cox-2 blockade it has better safety than conventional NSAIDs with respect to adverse effects on gastrointestinal and cardiovascular system. Ethyl cellulose microspheres of Aceclofenac were prepared by emulsion- solvent evaporation technique that is an industrially feasible technique. The microspheres are spherical, discrete and free-flowing. Encapsulation efficiency was found to be 81%. Aceclofenac release from microspheres was slow and diffusion controlled. Good liner relationships were observed between percent coat and release rate of the microspheres. These microspheres were found suitable for oral controlled release.