Development of oral foams for topical treatment of inflammatory bowel disease

The advantages of local therapy for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are generally accepted. However, the effectiveness of such treatment is often limited due to insufficient targeting of the inflammatory lesions using classical modified release (MR) formulations. The exisiting MR products cannot always provide the therapeutically required high concentrations of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) at the inflammation site. This might be overcome by administration of semisolid preparations such as drug solutions or liquid foams. Foams can be used as suitable vehicles containing concentrated solutions of the API which can be easily spread and effectively cover the site of the inflammation. In the present work presented are foams that are suitable for oral administration as a solid dosage form. The novel systems are characterized by dynamic foaming, good smoothness and spreading capacity as well as reasonable stability under simulated intestinal conditions. The study results suggest that the orally applicable foams can be considered as an alternative medicine suitable for the topical treatment of IBD.