Abstract

FILM FORMING GEL-A NOVEL DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR THE TREATMENT OF ONYCHOMYCOSIS

I. Bala Tripura Sundari*, Medavarapu Laxmi Pranitha

Department of Pharmaceutics, Sri Venkateshwara College of Pharmacy, 86, Hitec City road, Madhapur, Hyderabad, Telangana-500081.

ABSTRACT

Film-forming gel is a novel approach that could offer an alternative to the traditional dosage form used to treat nail infections. It is a gel system applied to the nail that forms a film after drying, which helps the drug penetrate the nail and offers a high residence time to treat the infection. Onychomycosis, a fungal infection of the fingernail or toenails caused by dermatophytes and dermatophytes Molds. The present study aims to formulate and evaluate the film-forming gel of efinaconazole by dispersion method. Fifteen formulations were prepared using different polymers, the prepared formulations were tested for drying time, pH, spreadability, film formation time, drug content, and in vitro drug release. F5 formulation performed better than other formulations and demonstrated 98% of drug release in just 4 hrs. This optimized formulation was subjected to X-ray diffraction, DSC analysis, and ex vivo permeability study. The colony-forming units for optimized formulation and control were counted, indicating that the film-forming gel has better anti-fungal activity against candida albicans, one of the causative organisms of onychomycosis. Based on the results obtained, the efinaconazole film-forming gels can be considered an effective dosage form for onychomycosis treatment.

Keywords: Film forming gel, Efinaconazole, HPC, HPMC E 15, Eudragit RL 100, Urea.