Design and Optimization of Gastro Retentive Bilayer Foating Tablet of Verapamil HCl

Abstract

The present study focuses on the formulation of floating tablets of Verapamil HCl to enhance its gastric residence time and therapeutic efficacy. Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC K100M) was identified as the optimal polymer for sustaining the drug release of Verapamil HCl. An inverse relationship between drug release rate and polymer concentration was observed, attributed to increased diffusion path length with higher polymer content. The formulated tablets underwent comprehensive post-compression evaluations, demonstrating satisfactory results in tablet thickness, hardness, weight variation, floating lag time, total floating time, content uniformity, and in vitro drug release. Among the formulations, F2 exhibited superior controlled drug release and floating properties. The release kinetics of the F2 formulation conformed best to the Korsmeyer-Peppas, Higuchi, and first-order models, indicating that the predominant mechanism for drug release was non-Fickian or anomalous diffusion.