Orodispersible dosage forms are attractive and innovative drug delivery systems that can fulfill individual patient needs, especially in children, elderly and among dysphagic patients. Indeed, they rapidly disperse in the mouth upon contact with the saliva without the need for water or munching. Examples of such dosage forms include orodispersible tablets (ODT), and orodispersible films (ODF). The ability to obtain ODF with different dimensions (sizes and thicknesses) makes them a suitable for personalized dosing of single or a fixed-dose combination of drugs in special patient populations. Several biopolymers are currently being exploited in the development of orodispersible dosage forms including alginates due to their versatility, availability, naturally occurring, and biosafety profile. This chapter provides an appraisal on the various applications of alginates in the preparations and their role on the properties of orodispersible dosage forms and highlights future perspectives of this very versatile biopolymer for these innovative drug delivery systems.
