Impact of Tablet Shape on Drug Dissolution Rate Through Immediate Released Tablets

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the geometric shape on the dissolution rate of the domperidone, a drug model for immediate release dosage form. In this regard, a lack of sufficient information about the effective dissolution rate of the drugs regarding their shapes has made this issue an interesting subject for researchers.

Methods: For this purpose, three tablet shapes, namely flat and biconvex both in a round and oblong shapes, with different four sizes were modelled for the preparation of domperidone tablet. In vitro dissolution test was accomplished using a USP dissolution apparatus II. The drug dissolution rate was assessed by calculating various dissolution parameters; e.g., dissolution efficiency (DE), mean dissolution rate (MDR), mean dissolution time (MDT), and difference and similarity factors (f1 and f2 ).

Results: Regarding the disintegration time, the larger tablets showed a faster disintegration time. When the size of the tablets was smaller, the amount of released drug was significantly decreased. In addition, #9 tablets with a flat or biconvex geometry had obvious effects on the DE values. Generally, biconvex tablets had higher DE percentage than the flat tablets.

Conclusion: Noticeable differences in dissolution parameters by considering the different geometric shapes play an important role in the drug release kinetics which makes a significant effect on quick onset of action in oral administration.