Preparation and evaluation of buccoadhesive films of atenolol

This paper describes the preparation of new bilayered device comprising a drug containing mucoadhesive layer and a drug free backing layer. Bilaminated films were produced by a casting/ solvent evaporation technique. The mucoadhesive layer was composed of mixture of drug and sodium alginate with or without carbopol 934 P, and backing layer was made of ethyl cellulose. The double layer structure design was expected to provide drug delivery in a unidirectional fashion to the mucosa and avoid loss of drug due to wash out with saliva. The fabricated films were subjected to in vitro drug release, in vitro permeation through porcine buccal mucosa. The bilayered films were also evaluated for mucoadhesive strength, mucoadhesive time, folding endurance, hydration studies and tensile strength.