LIMITATION AND ADVANCE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ORODISPERSIBLE FILMS FOR DRUG DELIVERY

Orodispersible films (ODFs) are increasingly recognized as an important innovation in drug delivery, as they offer quick disintegration, better bioavailability, and greater comfort for patients. They are especially beneficial for children, the elderly, and those who have challenging in swallowing, since ODFs dissolve in the mouth and allow drugs to be absorbed through a sublingual or buccal route, avoiding metabolism by the liver. This review discusses the development of ODFs in detail, including formulation strategies, manufacturing methods, the current market landscape, and limitations that still affect these systems. The discussion incorporates significant details from an extensive review of recently published papers and patents on the subject, focusing on material screening, design considerations, and production processes. The review discusses physicochemical properties, stability issues, regulatory considerations, and challenges associated with industrial production, typically from pharmaceutical and engineering perspectives. While a number of advances have been made, challenges such as limited drug load and stability issues, and product scale-up still remain. This article attempts to identify these gaps to suggest areas for future research to improve performance, scale-up and commercialisation to enable ODFs for patients in need of products other than a conventional dosage form.