Development Of Cetirizine Hydrochloride Orally Disintegrating Tablets

Cetirizine hydrochloride,a metabolite of hydroxyzine,is a new anti-histamine;its principal effects are mediated via selective inhibition of H1 receptors. The antihistaminic activity of cetirizine has been clearly documented in variety of animal and human models.. In vivo and Ex vivo animal models have shown negligible anticholinergic and antiserotonergic activity. Cetirizine hydrochloride is an effective and well tolerated treatment of seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis and chronic idiopathic urticaria.Orally disintegrating tablet is a novel dosage form developed in the 1990s, which designs for patients suffering from difficulty in swallowing,as well as traveling patients who may not have ready access to water,or just for reasons of faster medical intervention and easy administration. Administered without the aid of extra water,orally disintegrating tablet disintegrates or dissolves quickly in the oral cavity upon contact with saliva,resulting in solutions or suspensions of the administered medicine.Advantages of orally disintegrating tablet over conventional tablets include rapid drug absorption earlier in oral cavity,quick drug therapy intervention,convenience of administration,and patient acceptance,especially for pediatric,geriatric,and psychiatric patients.The qualities of Cetirizine hydrochloride orally disintegrating tablets were evaluated.The results showed that the appearance, weight difference,hardness,disintegration time in vitro and in oral cavity,taste,content as well as content uniformity of tablets were up to quality standard. The cumulative dissolution percentage of Cetirizine hydrochloride from the orally disintegrating tablets was 97.38% in 2 min and dissolute completely within 4 min.