The objective of the present study is to develop sustained release floating tablets of Atenolol to prolong the gastric residence time of the drug as well as to deliver the drug over prolonged periods of time to maximize therapeutic efficacy and improve the bioavailability of the drug. Gastro-retentive dosage forms offer several advantages compared to conventional tablets especially for drugs that are absorbed mainly in the upper parts of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) or for the drugs which are required to deliver local therapeutic action in the stomach or which are insoluble in alkaline pH in the lower parts of the GIT. The tablets were prepared by direct compression with hydrophilic swellable polymers like Hypromellose K4M and K15M and optimum amounts of gas generating agent like sodium-bicarbonate and citric acid in suitable ratios to generate optimum buoyancy. The tablets were tested for physical properties including their weight, friability and hardness properties and also assayed for content uniformity. The tablets were further evaluated by buoyancy studies and in-vitro drug release studies in HCl buffer medium. The tablets exhibited acceptable physical properties when tested and passed the hardness, friability and content uniformity tests. All the formulation batches exhibited buoyancy time of more than 24 hours and sustained the release of drug for more than 12 hours. After 12 hours study, it was observed that nearly 86 to 92% drug was released from all the formulations. Therefore, the floating tablets developed in this study are able to achieve gastroretention and prolonged release of the drug Atenolol.
