A Comprehensive Review On: Floating Microbeads for Gastroretentive Drug Delivery

The purpose of floating microbeads is to enhance the duration of gastric retention. These floating drug delivery systems have a lower bulk density than gastric juice, allowing them to remain buoyant on the gastric fluid for extended periods without affecting the gastric-emptying rate, thereby improving bioavailability. Gastro-retentive microbeads are particularly advantageous for the sustained or delayed release of oral formulations, offering flexibility in blending to achieve different release profiles, minimizing dosage risks due to their consistent and brief gastric retention time. This review aims to explore the literature on floating devices, techniques, the selection of appropriate or unsuitable drug candidates for GRDDS, low-density polymers that enable flotation on gastric fluid, processes, and the evaluation and application of floating microbeads.