Table 3.

Studies performed to maintain the ideal formulation of fast dissolving oral films for the delivery of various drugs followed by its evaluation and comparison to a current product on the market:

Drug	Study performed	Proof of concept and study design	Results obtained compared to reference formulation	References
Aprepitant	In vitro characterization In vitro disintegration time, wetting time and drug release	In vivo comparative pharmacokinetic animal study	Optimized formulation containing 40–45% pullulan and 15–20% PEG 400 showed a shorter disintegration time (20 s), a greater dissolution rate (88.87%) and alike pharmacokinetic values	Bala and Sharma, 2018
		Two period, two sequence, cross-over
Sumatriptan succinate	In vitro characterization In vitro disintegration time and dissolution study	In vivo comparative pharmacokinetic studies in healthy human volunteers	Optimized formulation containing 60% PVA 20000 and 24% PEG 4400 showed a higher peak concentration (10.78 ng/mL), shorter disintegration time (0.25 h) and an increased AUC	Tayel et al., 2016
		Randomized, two treatment, two period, cross-over
Terbutaline sulphate	In vitro characterization In vitro/in vivo disintegration time and dissolution study	Bioavailability studies in healthy human volunteers	Optimized formulation containing HPMC-Na alginate-maltodextrin, PEG and water showed a quick disintegration time (25 s), a higher plasma concentration of 12.525 μg/mL and a greater AUC	Sayed et al., 2013
		Randomized, single dose, cross-over

AUC: Area under the curve, HPMC: Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, PEG: Polyethylene glycol, PVA: Polyvinyl alcohol.