Published Paper Details:

Oral dissolving films (ODFs) are advanced oral dosage forms designed for application onto the buccal mucosa, offering both local and systemic therapeutic effects. These films are often preferred over conventional oral drug delivery systems due to their flexibility, ease of use, and improved patient comfort. ODFs leverage the bioadhesive properties of certain polymers, which, upon hydration, adhere to specific mucosal regions for prolonged periods. This allows them to bypass first-pass metabolism and enhance bioavailability. Additionally, they are self-administerable, cost-effective, and exhibit high patient compliance. Among the various techniques used for formulating ODFs, the solvent casting method is the most widely employed. Typically, hydrophilic polymers are combined with other excipients to create films that disintegrate rapidly, releasing the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) within seconds. ODFs provide multiple advantages, including ease of access, simple administration and withdrawal, strong mucosal retention, low enzymatic degradation, cost-efficiency, and enhanced patient compliance. These attributes contribute to their growing potential for commercial and therapeutic application. This review focuses on the mechanism of action, advantages, formulation components, preparation methods, evaluation parameters, and currently marketed ODF products. It also discusses advancements in novel fast-dissolving technologies within this drug delivery platform.