Formulation and Evaluation of Valacyclovir H...

Formulation and Evaluation of Valacyclovir Hydrochloride Gel for Topical Delivery

Author Name : Aiman A. Shaikh, Mrs Aney S. Joice

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56025/IJARESM.2023.1112231546

ABSTRACT Valacyclovir hydrochloride (VH) belongs to the antiviral drug class. It is prescribed for treating herpes simplex, herpes zoster(shingles), and herpes B. The factor that limits the use of VH is that it causes thrombocytopenia when it is given orally and leads to crystal formation in the kidney leading to kidney failure when delivered by the IV route. Topical drug delivery is an appropriate way for local and systemic treatment.[1] The primary purpose of the present study is the formulation and evaluation of liposomal gel of VH for topical delivery. Pre formulation studies like absorption maxima and FTIR study were performed to identify and characterize the drug. FTIR conducted the drug excipient compatibility study, and the study revealed there was no interaction between drug and excipients. Thin-film hydration method was used to prepare the liposomes. Nine batches were prepared by varying the concentrations of soya lecithin and cholesterol. All the formulations were evaluated for vesicle size, entrapment efficiency and in vitro drug release studies. The optimized formulation of liposomes F9, which showed the highest entrapment efficiency and drug release, was incorporated in 1% Carbopol (940) gel. The developed formulation was checked for entrapment efficiency, pH, in-vitro drug release, viscosity and various other parameters were evaluated for the gel formulation.