Drug delivery systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated as pharmaceutical scientists acquire a better understanding of the physicochemical and biochemical parameters pertinent to their performance. Fast-dissolving drug-delivery systems (FDDS) were first developed in the late 1970s as an alternative to tablets, capsules, and syrups for pediatric and geriatric patients who experience difficulties swallowing traditional oral solid dosage forms. Over the past three decades, fast disintegrating tablets (FDTs) have gained considerable attention as a preferred alternative to conventional tablets and capsules due to better patient compliance. FDTs are solid dosage forms containing medicinal substances which disintegrate rapidly, usually in a matter of seconds, when placed on the tongue. Products of FDTs technologies entered the market in the 1980s, have grown steadily in demand, and their product pipelines are rapidly expanding. New FDDS technologies address many pharmaceutical and patient needs, ranging from enhanced life-cycle management to convenient dosing for pediatric, geriatric, and psychiatric patients with dysphasia. This has encouraged both academia and industry to generate new orally disintegrating formulations and technological approaches in this field. Mouth dissolving films (MDFs) are another FDDS evolved over the past few years from the confection and oral care markets in the form of breath strips and became a novel and widely accepted form by consumers for delivering vitamins and personal care products. Companies with experience in the formulation of polymer coatings containing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for transdermal drug delivery capitalized on the opportunity to transition this technology to MDFs formats. Today, FDDS are a proven and accepted technology for the systemic delivery of APIs for over-the-counter (OTC) medications.
