Asymmetric Membrane Capsules for Delivery of Poorly Water Soluble Drugs

Abstract

After the successful implementation of asymmetric membrane in osmotic tablet preparation, it also diversified towards capsular system. The asymmetric membrane capsule is a controlled drug-delivery device widely used in controlled osmotic drug delivery. The phase-inversion technique is utilized to nurture such units. It has a relatively thin dense region supported on a thicker porous region, hence called asymmetric. In contrast to gelatin capsules, however, the walls of asymmetric membrane capsules are made from a water-insoluble polymer such as cellulose acetate (CA) ethylcellulose (EC), cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB), and their mixtures. This review is undertaken to provide some fascinating features of asymmetric membrane capsule with its preparation method and evaluation parameters.

Keywords: asymmetrical membrane, osmotic effect, poorly water-soluble drugs, sodium lauryl sulfate