Feasibility of transdermal delivery of fluoxetine

Feasibility of developing a transdermal drug delivery of fluoxetine has been investigated. Permeation studies of fluoxetine across human cadaver skin were carried out using Franz diffusion cells. The receptor phase consisted of pH 7.4 phosphate buffer maintained at 37 degrees C. Permeation enhancement of fluoxetine, either in the salt or base form, was achieved using various enhancers like azone, SR-38, and ethanol. Various O/W microemulsion systems of fluoxetine were developed to study their effect on the skin permeation of fluoxetine. The results indicated that ethanol at 65% vol/vol was able to increase the permeation of fluoxetine the most, while microemulsion systems showed decrease in the permeation of fluoxetine. The permeation of fluoxetine obtained using a 65% vol/vol ethanolic solution was found to be sufficient to deliver the required dose (20-80 mg) from a patch of feasible size. The results seem promising for developing a transdermal drug delivery system of fluoxetine.