Design and Evaluation of Monolithic Drug-in- Adhesive Transdermal Patches of Meloxicam

The objective of this study was to develop a transdermal therapeutic system for meloxicam (MX) using various polymers like hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC), ethyl cellulose (EC) and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and plasticisers by solvent casting technique. The prepared patches were evaluated for physicochemical properties, in vitro release, in vitro skin permeation and in vivo release. The physicochemical interactions between MX and polymers were investigated by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The in vitro release studies revealed that the release was sustained up to 24 hours and it followed zero order kinetics (r2–0.998). Finally, the patch formulation containing MX (MX-2) selected through our in vitro study was characterised for in vitro skin permeation using various biological membranes like snake shed skin and porcine ear skin. The patch exhibited no skin irritation and better pharmacodynamic activity when compared with a commercially available diclofenac patch with all the tested in vivo parameters. As a patient friendly and once a day dosing therapeutic system, the transdermal patches incorporating MX could be promising in the pasture of controlled drug delivery.