Development of anticandidal delivery systems .2. Mucoadhesive devices for prolonged drug delivery in the oral cavity

Conventional dosage forms designed for drug delivery in the oral cavity suffer from the disadvantage of an initial burst of activity followed by a vapid decrease in concentration to subtherapeutic levels. To counter this effect, two prolonged-release dosage forms were devised for the treatment of oral candidiasis. These devices were to contain the antifungals, chlorhexidine and clotrimazole, for therapy against Candida albicans, and also benzocaine and hydrocortisone to combat the pain and inflammation secondary to a candidal infection. Release studies demonstrated that only chlorhexidine and clotrimazole could be delivered in a controlled manner from the mucoadhesive patches. On the other hand, release of all four drugs could be controlled from the mucoadhesive tablets, with optimum release of the drugs in 24 hr achieved using sodium carboxymethylcellulose and polyethylene oxide (85:15) combination tablets.