Lacidipine porous tablets: Formulation and in vitro characterization

Lacidipine (LCDP), a BCS class II drug is used in the treatment of hypertension. Upon oral administration, LCDP shows poor absorption from gastrointestinal tract and undergoes extensive first pass hepatic metabolism. The oral bioavailability of LCDP is 10%. The present study involved the development and characterization of LCDP porous tablets to enhance its solubility and dissolution rate. Tablets were formulated by direct compression method followed by vacuum drying at 40 °C for 6 h. Optimized formulation contained croscarmellose sodium as superdisintegrants and camphor as sublimating agent. Tablets were characterized for post compression parameters. Dissolution was carried out in phosphate buffer pH 6.8 and in pH 1.2 buffer with 0.2% Tween 20. Scanning electron microscopy image revealed the presence of highly porous surface texture. Thus, collectively it can be concluded that porous tablets of LCDP can serve as an alternative for enhancement of drug solubility and release thereby enhancing its bioavailability.