Application of Polymer Combinations in Extended Release Hydrophilic Matrices

Extended release (ER) oral dosage forms provide a number of therapeutic benefits (i.e. improved efficacy, reduced frequency of administration and better patient compliance) and retain market share. Due to the costs involved in discovering, developing, testing their safety and getting approval for new polymeric materials, a new focus has been directed towards the investigation of the use of pharmaceutically approved polymer blends as matrix formers. Combining polymers of different chemistries or viscosities has been studied extensively as a means of achieving and optimising extended drug release from hydrophilic matrices. The present chapter will discuss the potential use of binary blends of various polymers to achieve the desirable release profiles.

Keywords: Hydrophilic polymers, polymer blend, swelling, drug release, matrices,
compatibility, synergistic eff ect, ionic polymers