Abstract

A REVIEW ON DELIVERY OF DRUGS USED FOR ACID REFLUX TREATMENT THROUGH BUCCAL ROUTE

Anjali Kansal* and Sunil Kumar Batra

ABSTRACT

Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD is a condition that develops when gastric acid from the stomach travels upto the esophagus. The acid in the esophagus causes heartburn and other symptoms, as well as possible tissue damage. GERD is often be treated with medications before attempting other lines of treatment. H2 blockers Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) are one of the main pharmaceutical treatment options for people with GERD. Other options include Proton pump inhibitors (PPI), antacids, prokinetics. Oral route is the most preferred route for drug administration but bioavailability of many GERD treatment drugs, especially proton pump inhibitors is very low since these degrade very rapidly in acidic environment of stomach and undergo hepatic first pass metabolism. Moreover, many pediatric, geriatric patients and persons with dysphagia face difficulty in swallowing a tablet. Swallowing becomes even more challenging for patient suffering from GERD. To overcome these drawbacks, buccal mucosa can be used as a route for the drugs meant for GERD treatment. Buccal route is also suitable for reducing the frequency of dosage administration by using controlled release approach. The present article gives a brief view on various research studies undertaken in the area of buccal delivery system on GERD treatment drugs to improve bioavailability and patient compliance.

Keywords: GERD, Buccal Route, H2 Blockers, Proton pump inhibitors.