Dosage Forms

Patricia Van Arnum was executive editor of Pharmaceutical Technology.

Articles

AAPS, San Antonio (Oct. 31)-As biologic-based drugs become an increasingly larger part of pharmaceutical product portfolios, strategies for optimizing their formulation become increasingly important.

Antimicrobial Preservatives in Protein Drugs

AAPS, San Antonio (Oct. 30)-Aiming to provide a greater understanding of coating processes, speakers at the 20th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists presented some of the difficulties, tools, and strategies for obtaining adequately uniform films in pan and fluid-bed coating processes.

Challenges and Solutions in Film Coating

San Antonio, TX (Nov. 1)-Though the US Food and Drug Administration's final guidance on process analytical technology (PAT) was published in Sept. 2004, companies are still unsure about how exactly to implement PAT in their processes.

Integrating PAT into Processes

Understanding the impact of reactive mass transfer and local flow in multiphase systems is crucial for maximizing reaction selectivity and minimizing the formation of byproducts. The authors study the influence of mixing on fast liquid–liquid reactions. The iodination of L-tyrosine was used to demonstrate the relationship of droplet size and shape on reaction selectivity and to verify computational predictions. By understanding that droplet dynamics affect the yield and selectivity of fast reactions, the formation of byproducts can be minimized by optimizing operating parameters.

Effect of Droplet-Wake Phenomena on Mixing-Sensitive Pharmaceutical Reactions

Pharmaceutical companies are facing increased competition, cost pressures, and a need to improve the performance of their manufacturing operations. Lean manufacturing offers methods, tools, and heuristics for improved efficiency in manufacturing. Process analytical technology offers alternative analysis techniques that could greatly improve manufacturing quality and efficiency. Mathematical tools exist for assessing the efficiency of manufacturing processes. Internal benchmarking is recommended for determining the efficiency and tracking improvements in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

A Tracking Tool for Lean Solid-Dose Manufacturing

The increasing popularity of orally disintegrating tablets has led to growing interest in the advantages of superdisintegrants. This article presents some practical considerations in selecting these ingredients.

Selecting Superdisintegrants for Orally Disintegrating Tablet Formulations

As the pace of product development accelerates, the approach to dissolution-method development must advance beyond a manual method and an assay. A natural progression of the method-development process must include the transfer of the manual method onto automated instrumentation.

A Compliance Perspective on Dissolution Method Validation for Immediate-Release Solid Oral Dosage Forms on Automated Instrumentation

West Point, PA (Jul. 31)?A survey of 150 US pharmacists found that nearly 80% believe that "multiple look-alike medications" make it difficult for consumers to identify the correct medication, especially when the drugs are moved to unlabeled containers.

Survey: Pharmacists Say Distinctive Tablets Reduce Dispensing Errors

Aegis Therapeutics (San Diego, CA) has launched a new formulation technology to increase the stability of proteins and peptides.

Formulation Technology Increases Protein Stability

Roxane Laboratories (Columbus, OH), a Boehringer Ingelheim company, is conducting a voluntary recall in the United States and Puerto Rico of a single manufacturing lot of "Azathioprine"tablets, USP 50 mg.

Solid/Semi-Solid Dosage