Controlled release of nifedipine from osmotic pellet based on porous membrane

The osmotic delivery systems are based on osmosis. The transverse diffusion of water through a porous membrane from a medium with a low osmotic pressure to a medium with a high osmotic pressure. Nifedipine tablet dosage forms of Procardia XL® (Pfizer) and Adalat® (Bayer) are commercialized systems of this type that push-pull osmotic tablet operates successfully in delivering water-insoluble drugs. We prepared osmotic pellet system by fluidized bed coating method, and model-drug used nifedipine. The osmotic pellet system was composed of the core material, the swelling and osmotic pressure layer, the drug coating layer, and the porous membrane. This work is performed to investigate the effect of different factors, such as composition and thickness of membrane. The osmotic pellet has been successfully prepared by fluidized bed coating technology. The drug release behavior depended on the increase of CA ratio and thickness in porous membrane. The morphology of the osmotic pellet before and after the dissolution test were observed by SEM. In conclusion, we found that the drug release of osmotic pellet depended on the composition and coating thickness of porous membrane.