Pharmaceutical studies on sustained release Formulations of certain drugs

Ketoprofen and flurbiprofen are non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs ; possessing analgesic, antiinflainmatory and antipyretic activities. They are widely used in the treatment of many symptoms such as rheumatoid arthritis, polyarthritis and post-operative pain. Unfortunately, their frequent oral uses cause several side effects. The gastroduodenal disturbances especially the gastro-intestinal hemorrhage represent the most serious side effects. Therefore, ketoprofen and flurbiprofen are favored to be formulated into sustained release dosage forms.Wet granulation and solid dispersion techniques were applied for preparation of sustained release dosage forms of ketoprofen and flurbiprofen. The prepared sustained release dosage forms were evaluated through studying their physical properties and in-vitro release characteristics of both drugs. These parameters were compared with those of available marketed products of both drugs. Moreover, the efficiency of the best prepared formulae in inhibiting the ulcerogenicactivity of both drugs were investigated on the rat’s stomach.