Exploring Different Polymers Used In Oral Films

Oral route is most preferred route by medical practitioners due to acceptability of patients. Due to high blood flow under the oral mucosa, convectional form were replaced by oromucosal drug delivery systems. So oral thin films introduced and marketed as a new dosage form. The advantages of oral thin films are the administration to pediatric and geriatric patient population where the difficulty of swallowing larger oral dosage forms is eliminated. Oral thin films includes polymer, plasticizer, active pharmaceutical ingredient, sweetener, flavoring agent and other necessary additives that are prepared by solvent casting, hot melt extrusion, and rolling. The first and the most essential ingredient is polymer that are synthetic and natural. The most famous natural polymers are pullulan, pectin, starch and chitosan, and synthetic polymers are cellulose derivative, PVA and PVP. Films are usually made of hydrophilic polymers which disintegrate rapidly in buccal cavity. The water-soluble polymers achieve rapid disintegration, good mouth feel and mechanical properties to the films. Depending on the type of film in terms of release behavior and persistence in the mouth, polymers and compounds of them are used in the making of the films. So evaluation of polymers properties for preparing oral films is very important. In this paper we discuss the properties and application of this polymers.