DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF GASTRO RETENTING DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM CONTAINING FAMOTIDINE AS DRUG MOLECULE

The present study focuses on the design, formulation, and evaluation of a gastro-retentive drug delivery system (GRDDS) containing famotidine as the drug molecule. Five different floating tablet formulations (F1–F5) were prepared using direct compression technique with HPMC E50, Carbopol 930, sodium bicarbonate, and other excipients. Pre-compression parameters such as bulk density, Carr’s index, angle of repose, and Hausner ratio confirmed good flow characteristics. Post-compression evaluations included weight variation, hardness, friability, drug content, buoyancy studies, swelling index, and in-vitro drug release. FTIR analysis confirmed no significant interaction between famotidine and selected excipients. Among the five formulations, F2, F3, and F4 exhibited excellent buoyancy and sustained drug release over 10 hours, with F2 showing the highest release (96.3%). Overall, the study demonstrates that HPMC–Carbopol-based floating tablets can effectively sustain famotidine release and prolong gastric residence time, making them suitable for improving the therapeutic efficacy of famotidine in gastric disorders.