Overview of Orally Disintegrating Film

Fast-dissolving drug-delivery systems were first developed in the late 1970s as an alternative to tablets, capsules, and syrups for the patients of pediatric and geriatric who faces difficulties in swallowing conventional oral solid dosage forms. On the basis of this need, a variety of orally disintegrating tablet (ODT) formats were commercialized. Most ODT products were formulated to disintegrate in less than one minute when placed in mouth (saliva) to form a solution that could then be more easily swallowed. Dissolvable oral thin films (OTFs) evolved over the past few years from the confection and oral care markets in the form of breath strips and became a novel and widely accepted form by consumers for delivering personal care products and vitamins. Companies having experience in the formulation of polymer coatings containing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for transdermal drug delivery, capitalized on the opportunity to transition this technology to OTF formats. Today, OTFs are accepted proven technology for the systemic delivery of APIs for over-the-counter (OTC) medications and are in the earlyto mid-development stages for prescription drugs. This review article provides the basic overview regarding to the importance, advantages, disadvantages, formulation, preparation, evaluation and patents related to the orally disintegrating film (ODFs).