FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF CHEWABLE TABLETS OF METFORMIN HYDROCHLORIDE

The present study was undertaken to formulate and evaluate a patient-friendly chewable immediate-release tablet of metformin hydrochloride for improved compliance and rapid onset of action. Metformin hydrochloride, a first-line oral anti hyperglycemic agent, is widely prescribed for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus, but its conventional dosage form often presents swallowing difficulty and poor patient acceptability, especially in pediatric and geriatric populations. The objective of the present work was to develop chewable tablets (immediate-release) with acceptable pre-compression and post-compression properties and to optimize the formulation using suitable disintegrants and excipients. Different formulations were prepared by varying the proportions of starch and sodium starch glycolate. The prepared blends were evaluated for pre-compression parameters such as angle of repose, bulk density, tapped density, Carr’s index, and Hausner ratio. The compressed tablets were further evaluated for weight variation, hardness, friability, disintegration time, drug content, and in vitro dissolution profile. Stability studies were also conducted under accelerated and room temperature conditions. Among all formulations, F9 exhibited the most satisfactory results and showed a drug release profile closely matching the reference product. The optimized formulation contained metformin hydrochloride (500 mg), starch (90 mg), sodium starch glycolate (6.25 mg), talc, methyl paraben, propyl paraben, and gelatin. The formulation demonstrated acceptable flow properties, rapid disintegration, satisfactory mechanical strength, and favorable dissolution behavior. The study concluded that chewable immediate-release tablets of metformin hydrochloride can be successfully developed to enhance convenience, compliance, and therapeutic performance.

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