Melt film
Melt films are a drug dosage form that is taken orally. The drug carrier is thin, flexible and disintegrates within a few seconds on contact with saliva. Melt films vary in size, mostly between 2 and 8 cm² d. H. comparable to the size of a one euro coin.
Taking the dosage form
The thin film strip is placed on the tongue and dissolves within a few seconds on contact with saliva. The active ingredient is partly absorbed through the oral mucosa and is therefore not impaired by absorption disorders in the intestine.
Advantages of melt films
- Ingestion without water
- Dissolves within a few seconds (in contrast to orodispersible tablets )
- Control function in patients who have difficulty swallowing or who refuse to take it
- Depending on the active ingredient: accelerated active ingredient absorption
Disadvantages of melt films
- Limited active ingredient loading: film area and thickness cannot be increased at will.
Differentiation from other oral dosage forms
Both tablets , solutions , orodispersible tablets and melting films are taken orally. Tablets must be taken with water; this is not necessary for solutions, melt films and orodispersible tablets. Melt films dissolve in the mouth within a few seconds on contact with saliva; this is what distinguishes them from orodispersible tablets, these remain z. B. in old people's homes often in the mouth for several hours until they dissolve. Solutions are relatively easy for patients to take, but in contrast to the solid dosage forms, they are difficult to dose exactly.
taste
The base mass of a melt film is tasteless. In order for the film strip to be used as a medicine, an active ingredient must be applied. Active ingredients can have their own taste; however, this can usually be masked so that a patient can no longer taste the active ingredient. For this z. B. ion exchange resins or flavorings are used.
Production and development
The development of melt films is based on the technology of plaster production. Viscous suspension is distributed on a film and then dried. Later the film is removed again and the mass is cut into small pieces. In addition to the active ingredient, the melt film contains a film former ( starch or cellulose derivative ), a plasticizer such as propylene glycol or glycerol , a humectant such as sorbitol, xylitol or maltodextrin and fillers such as microcrystalline cellulose and solvents (e.g. ethanol, water). Sweeteners or flavorings are used to mask the taste. The company Hexal is the first pharmaceutical company that risperidone Hexal ® has brought SF (since 1 October 2010) a melt film in Europe as a drug to market.
Further application
This technique is also used outside of pharmaceuticals, e.g. B. as "peppermint leaves" from various manufacturers.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Swallowing NN tablets was yesterday , powerteam a, October / November 2010, pp. 6-7. pdf version ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ↑ Siebenand, S. On your tongue, set, go . Pharmaceutical Gazette, 38/2008, pp. 28-29. Online version .
