Orally disintegrating tablets : formulation, preparation techniques and evaluation.

Oral delivery is currently the gold standard in the pharmaceutical industry where it is regarded as the safest, most convenient and most economical method of drug delivery having the highest patient compliance. Formulation of a convenient dosage form for oral administration, by considering swallowing difficulty especially in case of geriatric and pediatric patient leads to poor patient compliance. To troubleshoot such problems a new dosage form known as orally disintegrating tablet (ODT), has been developed which rapidly disintegrate & dissolve in saliva and then easily swallowed without need of water which is a major benefit over conventional dosage form. In addition, patients suffering from dysphasia, motion sickness, repeated emesis and mental disorders prefer such preparation because they cannot swallow large quantity of water. Further, drugs exhibiting satisfactory absorption from the oral mucosa or intended for immediate pharmacological action can be advantageously formulated in such type of dosage form. The popularity and usefulness of the formulation resulted in development of several ODT technologies for preparation. The current article is focused on ideal characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, formulation aspects, formulation technologies, evaluation of products and future potential. Various marketed preparations along with numerous scientific advancements made so far in this avenue have also been discussed.