A Review of gastro-retentive drug delivery systems for antidiabetics and its present status

The present review provides concise information on status of gastro-retentive drug delivery systems for antidiabetic molecules. Present review emphasis on pharmacotherapy of diabetes via gastric retention of drug molecules. The gastro-retentive system is a proven useful tool for sustaining the drug release for the drugs having good absorption through the GIT, drugs with narrow therapeutic index and low dose drugs. The gastro-retentive dosage forms have also been developed for antidiabetic molecules and metformin hydrochloride, the first line drug in the treatment of diabetes is commercially available in the market in the form of sustained release formulations. As oral antidiabetic therapy is required for prolonged duration, the oral hypoglycemic may lead to side effects such as diabetic neuropathy, diabetic myopathy and many more. The primary reason for side effects is under-utilization of the drug molecule which can be improved using gastro-retentive drug delivery systems thereby minimizing the side effects. Despite being one of the most successfully systems, the commercial value gastro-retentive drug delivery systems is still below par. Gastro-retentive drug delivery systems for antidiabetic drug molecules are still awaited. The research is still in progress for gastro-retentive formulations which can attract industry utilizing these systems for humanely causes.