European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

AN OVERVIEW ON SUBLINGUAL TABLETS FOR SYSTEMIC DELIVERY OF DRUG

Tandel Nehal K.*, Ajay Talele, Dr. Sachin B. Narkhede and Khalil Shaikh

ABSTRACT

Delivery of drug through the oral mucosa membrane is considered to be a promising alternative to the oral route. Sublingual route is a useful when rapid onset of action is required with good patient compliance than orally ingested tablets. The drug absorbed through sublingual mucosa bypasses the hepatic first‐pass metabolic processes giving acceptable bioavailability. For permeability, the sublingual area of the oral cavity (i.e. the floor of the mouth) is more permeable than the buccal (cheek) area, which in turn is more permeable than the palatal (roof of the mouth) area. To formulate sublingual tablets various techniques can be used. New sublingual technologies address many pharmaceutical and patient needs, ranging from enhanced life‐cycle management to convenient dosing for geriatric, pediatric and psychiatric patients with dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing). This review highlights the different sublingual dosage forms, advantages, various in vitro and in vivo evaluation parameters and commercially available sublingual dosage forms.

Keywords: Sublingual mucosa, permeability, improved bioavailability, oral cavity.