Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways characterized by reversible bronchoconstriction, airway hyper-responsiveness, and mucus hypersecretion. Salbutamol sulfate, a short-acting β₂-adrenergic agonist, is widely used as a bronchodilator for the management of acute asthma symptoms. However, its short biological half-life and frequent dosing requirements lead to poor patient compliance and fluctuating plasma drug levels. The present study aims to design, formulate, and evaluate a controlled drug delivery system of salbutamol sulfate to achieve sustained drug release, improved therapeutic efficacy, and enhanced patient compliance. A controlled release matrix tablet of salbutamol sulfate was developed using hydrophilic polymers such as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) of varying viscosity grades. The formulated tablets were evaluated for physicochemical properties including weight variation, hardness, friability, drug content uniformity, swelling index, and in vitro drug release behavior. Drug–polymer compatibility was assessed using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). In vitro release studies were conducted using USP dissolution apparatus, and release kinetics were analyzed using mathematical models. The results demonstrated that polymer concentration significantly influenced the drug release profile. Optimized formulations exhibited sustained drug release up to 12 hours, following non-Fickian diffusion kinetics. The study concludes that a controlled drug delivery system of salbutamol sulfate can effectively prolong drug release, reduce dosing frequency, and offer improved asthma management.

Salbutamol sulfate; Asthma; Controlled drug delivery; Matrix tablets; Sustained release; HPMC; Release kinetics