A new biorelevant dissolution method for orodispersible films

[Display omitted] •Development of a new biorelevant dissolution method for orodispersible films.•Comparison of conventional methods and the new biorelevant dissolution method.•Feasibility and problems of different dissolution setups for orodispersible films.•Conventional dissolution setups show faster concentration onset.•Simulated saliva flow has a higher impact on the dissolution than mechanical force. Specific knowledge about the dissolution behavior under biorelevant conditions is of high interest for the rational development of orodispersible films (ODFs). As the conditions in the oral cavity strongly differ from those in the gastrointestinal tract and from those performed with the pharmacopoeial test setups, a biorelevant dissolution setup was developed in this work, considering the mechanical force of the tongue, the saliva flow, the small fluid volume and the saliva composition. Especially in the initial phase, dissolution profiles of KTP (ketoprofen) ODFs observed by the new method showed a slower drug release than obtained with setups based on conventional dissolution methods. 27.47% KTP release after 100s was detected using the new method, compared to 59.29–82.55% detected without considering the in vivo conditions. Furthermore, an influence of the simulated in vivo conditions on the dissolution profile was observed. By simulating either saliva flow or mechanical force, the KTP release after 100s was two to three times higher (18.78% and 14.18%) compared to the profiles, measured without considering one of the parameters (6.76%). Further studies have to show, whether obtained data are comparable to in vivo data to predict drug release profiles of ODFs in the oral cavity.