• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.215-222
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• 2020

Metformin is a recommended first-line therapy drug for type 2 diabetes patients. However, compared to other oral antidiabetic drugs (OAD), metformin has a large unit dosage, with bioavailability of 40-60%. This limiting bioavailability is because metformin is absorbed only in the upper gastrointestinal tract as a BCS class 3 drug. Hence, we propose that applying the Gastroretentive Drug Delivery System (GRDDS) and extending drug release time in the stomach will result in improved bioavailability. We selected the swelling type delivery system, as it is considered the most stable gastroretention technology compared to other GRDDSs. We modified the swelling excipient by using a natural swelling excipient to form a swelling tablet made of carrageenan and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC). Our results indicate that the swelling complex tablet made of carrageenan and HPMC has a good swelling ability and shows required sustained release in a dissolution pattern. In addition, the carrageenan complex has a better swelling ability than the marketed metformin tablet, as determined by the ratio, (swelling ability)/(excipient weight). Taken together, our results indicate that the carrageenan complex can be developed as a good swelling excipient. Further optimizations are required for the commercialization of the carrageenan complex.