Formulation and Evaluation of Salbutamol Sulphate Sublingual Films

Abstract

Salbutamol is a short-acting, selective beta-2-adrenergic receptor agonist used in treatment of asthma and COPD. In the present work, sublingual films of Salbutamol sulphate were developed with a view to enhance the patient compliance and provide quick onset of action. Salbutamol has a bioavailability of 53 - 60%. The goal of the study was to formulate sublingual films of Salbutamol sulphate to achieve a better dissolution rate and further improving the bioavailability of the drug. Sublingual films prepared by solvent casting method using film forming polymers HPMC-E5, HPMC-E15 and Maltodextrin in different ratios. The prepared batches of films were evaluated for the drug content, weight variation, film thickness, disintegration time and in vitro dissolution studies. Among all, the formulation B1 containing HPMC-E15 with a drug: polymer ratio (1:6) was found to be the best formulation which showed 98.36% of the drug release within 15 minutes and disintegration time 18 sec. This study shows the viability of developing sublingual films of salbutamol.