Formulation and Evaluation of Transdermal Patches of Clopidogrel Bisulfate

Transdermal medication delivery (TDDS) is a viable alternative to oral drug administration, offering benefits such as longer therapeutic efficacy, decreased side effects, enhanced bioavailability, improved patient compliance, and ease of drug therapy termination. A study using solvent casting method prepared nine formulations of transdermal patches using Eudragit L-100 and HPMC K4M as film forming polymers. The patches' weight, thickness, folding endurance, homogeneity of drug content, and moisture content were assessed, along with their organoleptic qualities.in-vitro release, and steady state flux. The optimized transdermal patch (F5) showed the highest drug content of 98.78%, with the highest drug release of 75.91%. The F5 batch showed the highest steady state flux of 2.922 µg/cm² 12hr for clopidogrel bisulfate. The F5 batch completed three months of stability testing, showing no significant alterations to drug content, in vitro drug release, or steady state flux. The findings suggest that patches provide adequate outcomes for longer periods of time, and more clinical research is needed to establish an appropriate transdermal system for hypertension treatment.