Abstract

Context: Considering that bitter taste of drugs incorporated in orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs) can be the main reason for avoiding drug therapy, it is of the utmost importance to achieve successful taste-masking. The evaluation of taste-masking effectiveness is still a major challenge.

Objective: The objective of this study was to mask bitter taste of the selected model drugs by drug particle coating with Eudragit® E PO, as well as to evaluate taste-masking effectiveness of prepared ODTs using compendial dissolution testing, dissolution in the small-volume shake-flask assembly and trained human taste panel.

Materials and methods: Model drugs were coated in fluidized bed. Disintequik™ ODT was used as a novel co-processed excipient for ODT preparation. Selected formulations were investigated in vitro and in vivo using techniques for taste-masking assessment.

Results and discussion: Significantly slower drug dissolution was observed from tablets with coated drug particles during the first three minutes of investigation. Results of in vivo taste-masking assessment demonstrated significant improvement in drug bitterness suppression in formulations with coated drug. Strong correlation between the results of drug dissolution in the small-volume shake-flask assembly and in vivo evaluation data was established (R ≥ 0.970).

Conclusion: Drug particle coating with Eudragit® E PO can be a suitable approach for bitter taste-masking. Strong correlation between in vivo and in vitro results implicate that small-volume dissolution method may be used as surrogate for human panel taste-masking assessment, in the case of physical taste-masking approach application.

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