Formulation And Evaluation Of Rilpivirine Mouth Dissolving Thin Films

Abstract

Rilpivirine is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) employed in the treatment of HIV-1 infections in treatment-naive individuals. The objective of the current study was to develop mouth-dissolving films of Rilpivirine utilizing various polymers to achieve reduced disintegration time and enhanced drug release, thereby aiding patients with swallowing difficulties and improving the drug's bioavailability and onset of action. MDFs provide enhanced convenience for people with mental illness, as well as for juvenile, geriatric, and developmentally handicapped individuals. MDFs were prepared via a solvent casting method. The optimized MDF adheres to evaluation parameters including physical appearance, weight uniformity, drug content uniformity, thickness, folding endurance, surface pH, in vitro disintegration time, tensile strength, percent elongation, scanning electron microscopy, taste evaluation via spitting, in vitro dissolution study, comparison with marketed formulations, drug release kinetics, and stability studies. The improved MDF exhibited a % CDR of 99.16±1.35% after 10 minutes, whereas the market formulation demonstrated a % CDR of 79.48±1.82% in 12 minutes. The results validated the efficacy of the MDFs infused with Rilpivirine.