Fabrication of acyclovir floating tablets by using combination of eudragit l100 and ethyl cellulose by direct compression method

SUMMARY. The objective of this study was to prepare the floating tablets of Acyclovir with minimum side effects. Eudragit L100 and ethyl cellulose were used as co-polymer for manufacturing of gastro retentive formulations of acyclovir by direct compression method. Pre-formulation study was performed and char-acterization was done with FTIR, DSC and XRD for analysis of acyclovir floating tablets. Dissolution study was carried out in 0.1 N HCl for 12 h to check the release profile of formulations and different phar-macokinetic models were used. The purity of Acyclovir was confirmed by results of pre formulation stud-ies. The drug polymer mixture showed good flow properties at low drug to polymer ratio. The results of FTIR and DSC showed the absence of chemical and physical interaction among drug and polymers. The results of post compression tests of prepared tablets were in acceptable range. The analysis of in vitro buoyancy time showed that the floating lag time of all tablets was less than 1 min and tablets remained on the surface of dissolution medium for more than 12 h. The data of swelling index test showed that the de-cline in swelling ability of floating tablets was due to increase in concentration of polymer. Formulations showed the extended release phenomena in 0.1 N HCl for all formulations with best release of 90% after 12 h. It was shown that all the formulations followed Korsemeyer Peppas model due to highest value of co-efficient R² in results. The release mechanism followed the super case II transport because the value of co-efficient R² was greater than 0.89.