DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF PULSATILE PRESS COATED CORE-IN-CUP TABLETS OF ATENOLOL

Aim of the present research was to formulate and evaluate an oral pulsatile press coated core-in-cup tablets of atenolol. Pulsatile drug delivery system can deliver drug when and where it is required. The Basic design consists of a core tablet prepared by wet granulation method using various ratios of HPMC E-15 and HPMC 50 cps. The tablet core was surrounded by two layers, a hydrophilic polymeric layer consisting of maltodextrin and an impermeable layer consisting of ethyl cellulose. The prepared press coated pulsatile tablets were evaluated for various pre and post formulation parameters such as pre compression characteristics of granule bed viz., rheological/micromeritic properties like bulk density, tapped density, compressibility index, Hauser’s ratio, flow properties, thickness, diameter, weight uniformity , hardness, friability, disintegration and dissolution profiles by using standard procedures In vitro release profiles of pulsatile device during 24 h studies were found to have very good sustaining effect. During the first five hours it shows minimum drug release. From the kinetic model fitting studies it concludes that in all the core-in-cup formulations the fit model was found to be first order kinetics with regression values ‘r’>0.9000 and koresmayer peppas exponential value ‘n’ was found to be greater than 0.5 indicating the drug release mechanism follows non fickian diffusion The programmable pulsatile release has been achieved from a press coated tablet over a 6 h period of lag time and drug release for 24 h. Keywords: Core-in-cup, pulsatile, atenolol.