Studies on the Effect of Hydrophilic Carriers in the Dissolution Rate Enhancement of Poorly Soluble Drug, Bicalutamide

The purpose of this study was to formulate and evaluate the solid dispersions of bicalutamide, a non-steroidal anti androgen. The role of various water-soluble carriers was studied for dissolution enhancement of a poorly soluble model drug, bicalutamide, using solid dispersion technique. Diverse carriers viz, Povidone K 30, Poloxamer 407 and Gelucire 50/13 were investigated for this purpose. Solid dispersions with Povidone K 30 were prepared by solvent evaporation technique and the dispersions with Poloxamer 407 and Gelucire 50/13 were prepared by fusion process.The results showed that Gelucire 50/13 based solid dispersions exhibited higher dissolution rate than other dispersions. Dissolution studies showed a significant change in the dissolution profile of bicalutamide when dispersed in hydrophilic carriers at varying concentrations, but the maximum drug release was exhibited by the dispersion made with Gelucire 50/13 containing drug: Gelucire 50/13 1:1. The dispersions were characterized by X-ray diffraction. The diffractions exhibited in PXRD reflected the change in the crystalline structure of the bicalutamide in povidone based dispersion, but not in other carrier dispersions.