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Pharmacist devises technology to make drugs at cheaper cost

BERHAMPUR: A cheap technology to prepare fast disintegrating and fast mouth-dissolving drugs in tablet form has been devised by Bibhu Prasad Panda, a young pharmaceutical scientist of the city.

The existing patented technologies for preparing such fast disintegrating and fast dissolving tablets are highly expensive. According to Mr. Panda, despite being expensive these technologies also suffer from an inherent problem. The tablets produced by this process become too fragile with increased friability. It becomes a hindrance in their production process and also needs sophisticated packaging for their marketing, which adds to the cost of the drug.

Mr Panda, a professor in the Roland Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the city, had begun his research to develop a simple, economical and industrially feasible manufacturing process to produce fast mouth-dissolving tablets with improved palatability. Under the guidance of M.E. Bhanoji Rao, the principal of his institution, he has been successful in his efforts. He, however, has used excipients commonly available in the pharmaceutical industry. It may be noted that excipients are inert substances which are combined with a drug to make it easier to administer. Faster rate of dissolution of a tablet decreases its time of impact.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Panda said common excipients like effervescent agents, subliming agents and super-disintegrants can be exploited in different combinations for commercial production of fast mouth-dissolving tablets of different drugs. According to him, the tablets produced through this process will be less fragile. He has also found that use of beta-cyclodextrin can be explored as it was found to be a versatile excipient for formulation of fast-dissolving tablets. With his newly devised process, he has already been able to produce faster dissolving tablets of common drugs like Rofecoxib, a common pain killer, Cetrizine, an anti-allergic and Domperidone, an anti-emitic. Domperidone is used by people suffering from motion sickness. All these medicines have to reach fast to give relief to patients. Increased rate of dissolution of these tablets will increase the efficacy of these drugs.

Mr. Panda has said more research on this new track will help production of better drugs at cheaper cost for the need of a country like India.

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