Development and characterization of trimethobenzamide hydrochloride containing orally disintegrating tablets

Orally disintegrating tablets have been developed to rapidly disintegrate in saliva within seconds after admin-istration, without the need for drinking water or any specific administration conditions. Therefore, they are more suitable dosage forms than conventional tablets for use in patients with swallowing difficulties or neurological diseases, pediatric and geriatric patients. Nausea and vomiting are diseases that are common in the clinic and limit the daily life of the patients. Trimethobenzamide hydrochloride is an antiemetic drug widely used in the acute treatment of nausea and vomiting. In this study, orally disintegrating tablet formulations of trimetho-benzamide hydrochloride were developed using direct compression and freeze-drying techniques. Physico-chemical characterization studies were carried out on the developed formulations. All formulations except F4, F8, F11 and F12 were disintegrated within 3 min in both distilled water and simulated saliva (pH 6.8). Permeability studies across Caco-2 cell lines proved that excipients used in the formulations increased the permeability of trimethobenzamide hydrochloride. Based on the results, it can be concluded that, trimetho-benzamide hydrochloride containing orally disintegrating tablets may be beneficial in patients where rapid onset of action is required.