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Volume 4 Issue 180 INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY

Drug Delivery: Thin DissolvingFilms Begin to Come of Age

Thin dissolving lms (TDFs) have

been in use or industrial applications

or over 25 years. The rst real public

awareness o edible thin lms was the

high prole launch o Listerine Breath

Fresheners, which spawned many

copy cat products which consumers

decided were imitation rather than an

innovation, and growth o this new

technology stalled. However, with the

success o Suboxone lm, a uniquethin lm application o a controlled drug

ensuring increased patient compliance,

TDF technology is once again being

taken seriously or pharmaceutical and

consumer healthcare products.

TDF is a unique technology with a very

broad range o product applications

or oral and topical controlled release.

By using the wide range o high-grade

lm-orming polymers now available,

it is possible to produce lms with an

enormous range o dissolution and

lm characteristics.

Examples o product applications or

TDF are:-

1) Edible Oral Films:

Fast dissolve in the mouth within

3-10 seconds. New taste-masking

techniques allow bitter ingredients to

be successully ormulated, and water-

insoluble actives can be suspended

in lms or release on dissolution in

the mouth. TDFs are an ideal dosage

ormat or the elderly, children or

patients with nausea, or anyone who

will not tolerate conventional tablet/

capsule dosage ormats, and are now

substantially cheaper to produce than

ODT. Recent ormulation advances are

also allowing much higher dosages o

API to be included in TDFs.

2) Fully Dissolving Dental/Buccal

Films:

Controlled release into the oral cavity

or onto the teeth/gums

Dental Films:

Films are applied to teeth/gums and

release ingredients over 10-15minutes

beore dissolving away e.g. teeth-

whitening strips, teeth re-mineralising/

sensitivity.

Buccal Films:

Applied to the roo o the mouth

the lm dissolves slowly, releasing

ingredients into the oral cavity and

nasal passages. Ideal or volatile,decongestant ingredients.

This lm ormat is commercially

marketed as Snore-eze, an anti-

snoring device.

Sublingual/Mucosal Absorption:

There are only a ew o these mucosal

and sublingual lms currently

marketed, but TDF technology can

be adapted to adhere to the mucosal

wall and provide controlled release

directly into the bloodstream with rapid

absorption and avoidance o rst pass

metabolism.

3) Dermal Films:

Advanced Wound Dressings: TDFs

are incorporated as part o a multi-layer

dressing, usually the skin contact layer,

to provide controlled release o actives

such as antimicrobials, antibiotics

and haemostats onto the wound. TDF

dissolution rates can be adjusted rom

rapid release into the exuding wound,

or very slow titration using polymerlms which are water-based but, once

ormed, are virtually insoluble so that

ater wetting they become porous to

release actives very slowly over a 1-3

day period.

Temporary Skin Plaster: these are

stand-alone skin coverings applied

to wet skin. The TDF dissolves onto

the skin surace and dries to orm a

temporary protective layer adhering to

skin. Ingredients such as antimicrobials

or anti-infammatory agents can be

included in these skin lms which

wash o with soap and water, and can

be easily re-applied as required

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Sticky Ingredients: Natural

antimicrobials such as honey have

been used in wound dressings as

pastes or several years. Honey can be

ormulated into a dry lm which is much

easier to handle during manuacture

and in patient application, but releases

at the wound surace.

4) Cosmetic Films & Soaps:

Face Mask: Dry thin lms can be a

very convenient method o applying

messy ingredients to wetted skin,releasing cleansing, emollient and

lightening agents.

Thin Film Soaps: Suractants, withsuitable antimicrobials such as

bioactive silver and emollients, can

be ormulated into a neat dry thin lm

soap which, when water is added,

provides a hygienic hand and arm

cleansing dosage orm or medical

proessionals and hospital visitors.

Manufacture:

Techniques have evolved signicantly

since the early thin lms launched over

10 years ago with the advent o closecontrol o dosage and gentle drying

o lm which allow the ormulation o

heat-sensitive APIs and new taste-

masking methods.

Packaging:

Automated packing techniques have

introduced pharmaceutical-style, peel-

open, unit-dose, hygienically-sealed

oil sachets to replace plastic multi-

strip dispensers.

Conclusion:

Ater a slight ly hesitant start, thin

dissolving lms are beginning to come

o age as a drug delivery mechanism

with potential or many unique

applications in pharmaceutical and

healthcare products.

For more inormation: please contact

Chris Hatton, Business Development

Director, BioFilm Ltd

tchris.hatton@biolm.co.uk.www.biolm.co.uk

Chris Hatton isan experiencedsales andmarketingprofessionalwith a proventrack record ofbusiness and product development inmajor f.m.c.g. companies and SMEs

in the consumer healthcare and lifescience sectors.Chris was with SmithKilne Beecham(now GSK) for 20 years in seniormarketing positions in the UK andoverseas and was responsible formajor brands such as Lucozadeand Night Nurse Cold remedy.Chris moved to Scotland withRohtoMentholatum (Deep Heat, Oxy& Rohto eyecare), where he wasSales & Marketing Director for 12years developing business through

major retailers such as Boots, Tescoand leading pharmacy groups, before

joining BioFilm in 2010.Email: chris.hatton@biolm.co.uk

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