A review of formulation techniques that impact the disintegration and mechanical properties of oradispersible drug delivery technologies.

The drug treatment of acute disorders such as neuropathic pain, migraines, insomnia, vomiting, allergic rhinitis or erectile dysfunction requires an immediate pharmacological effect that may be achieved through parenteral drug administration. However, the parenteral route is not always convenient for reasons that are well known. Therefore, in the recent past there has been a barrage of interest in formulating new, non-invasive, reliable and convenient oradispersible drug delivery technologies (ODDTs). Research in this area has focused extensively on developing ODDTs that are capable of releasing drugs immediately when they come into contact with saliva. This disregards the necessity of water during administration and several other advantages that is an attribute that makes this technology lucrative for groups such as pediatrics, geriatrics, psychiatrics and unconscious patients. Many reviews have been compiled on the salient features of ODDTs. However, none to date has focused on the actual formulation techniques used to produce these technologies and how this may impact their disintegration and physical stability for fulfilling their purpose. Therefore this review provides a concise incursion on the recent formulation techniques, excipients used as well as methods of testing the performance of ODDTs and critically assesses these in terms of improving their performance.