Formulation and Characterization of Fenofibrate Loaded Solid Dispersion with Enhanced Dissolution Profile

Fenofibrate (FF) is an anti-hyperlipidaemic drug belonging to BCS class-II (low solubility, high permeability). Its bioavailability is limited by the dissolution rate. This study was aimed to enhance the rate of dissolution of poorly water soluble drug, FF. Initially, solid dispersions of fenofibrate (SDFs) were formulated with Carplex-80 or PEG-4000 or in combination at various weight ratios and were subjected to dissolution study. On the basis of drug release at various time intervals, the formulation producing maximum drug concentration was evaluated physicochemically using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was observed that the peak drug concentration was obtained at 120 min of dissolution by formulation SDF-7, which contains a mixture of Carplex-80 and PEG-4000 at weight ratio 1:5:6 of FF:PEG-4000:Carplex-80, respectively. Thus, the extent of drug release by SDF-7 was maximized by 2.5-fold than that of pure FF. Physicochemical characterization revealed the reason for this increased drug release as a conversion of crystalline FF to amorphous form and ensured the chemical compatibility among FF and carriers. The results specified the significant improvement of FF release using solid dispersion technique.