Formulation and Evaluation of Piroxicam Liquid Fill Formulations

The present investigation includes the preparation and evaluation of liquid filling formulations of Piroxicam (PXM), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, to improve its dissolution properties. Liquid fills were prepared using various excipients like polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400), propylene glycol (PG), and methanol as co-solvents, poly vinyl pyrrolidone (PVP K-30) as solubilizing agent, and hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose as gelling agent. The prepared PXM liquid fills were evaluated for appearance, recrystallization, viscosity, clarity, assay and in vitro drug release studies. The compatibility of PXM and excipients in liquid fills was confirmed by FTIR. DSC studies together with XRD confirmed the absence of PXM recrystallization within the liquid fills. The viscosity of the prepared liquid fills was found to be in the range of 60.9–591.7 cps. Liquid fills containing PVP K 30 gave better dissolution properties when compared to formulations without PVP K 30, and complete PXM release was observed within 60 min for all PXM liquid fills and the PXM release from liquid fills followed diffusion mechanism. The liquid fills showed 98-102% PXM content even after 6months time period indicating that the PXM was stable in liquid fill formulations.