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DEVELOPMENT OF A METFORMIN MATRIX TABLET: A COMPARATIVE STUDY WITH MARKETED SUSTAINED RELEASE FORMULATION

MUTHANNA ABDULKARIM ¹*, DOAA R ADAM ¹, YUSRA AL ZAHRANI ¹, NOURA BINSAEED ¹, AIMAN Y. ALWADI ¹, OMAR Z. AMEER ¹, GAMAL M. MAHROUS 2

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Global health organizations are increasingly focused on improving the management of chronic diseases like diabetes to enhance therapeutic effectiveness. Metformin, a highly hydrophilic biguanide, is a first-line antihyperglycemic agent for type II diabetes management due to its effectiveness in lowering blood glucose without causing weight gain. Therefore, developing a sustained-release formulation of metformin holds significant value for patients requiring ongoing treatment. This study focuses on the formulation and evaluation of sustained-release matrix tablets of metformin HCl, designed to replicate the dissolution behaviour of a commercially available sustained-release metformin product. A series of formulations were developed using different ratios of Benecel K100M and Carbopol G71 matrix-forming agents with different binders at various ratios. All formulated tablets were assessed for their hardness, friability, thickness and weight variations to identify satisfactory formulae to be compared for their release with the standard. Release kinetics of all formulae were analysed to determine the most effective combination that can mimic the dissolution behaviour of the commercial sustained-release metformin. Among the tested formulations, tablets utilising Benecel K100M and MCC exhibited acceptable physical properties and release profiles that most closely match those of the standard marketed product. It seems MCC plays a key role in optimising the release behaviour from hydrophilic polymer matrix tablets.