Dosage Forms

Articles

Consideration of the key process variable will define the ease with which coating processes can be transferred from development to production. This study investigates those factors influencing atomization from two spray guns and examines how development-scale procedures on interchangeable drum coating equipment compare with those typically used in a production environment.

Comparison of Atomization Conditions Between Different Spray Guns Used in Pharmaceutical Film Coating

George Shlieout is the technical managing director at Magnesia GmbH, Postfach 2168, D-21311 Lüneburg, Germany, tel. +49 4131 871 018, fax +49 4131 871 055.

The aim of this work was to investigate the compactibility, compressibility and drug release behaviour of different fractions of a commercially available ethyl cellulose.

Ethyl Cellulose as a Matrix Former: The Influence of Particle Size on Tabletting and Drug Release Behaviour

Dry powder inhalers (DPIs) contain a powder which, when required, is discharged and inhaled. The therapeutic drug is manufactured in powder form as small particles a few micrometres in diameter. In many DPIs, the drug is mixed with much larger sugar crystals, such as lactose, and the smaller drug particles attach to these excipient particles, improving entrainment of the drug upon inhalation. This article examines how the application and combination of versatile processes such as milling, micronizing, sieving and air classification can be used to manufacture dedicated lactose products for practically every possible combination of active and excipient blend in DPIs.

Formulation of Lactose for Inhaled Delivery Systems

The author offers a primer for choosing the correct granulation process to improve yields, reduce tablet defects, and enhance productivity.

The Granulation Process 101: Basic Technologies for Tablet Making

Using melt extrusion to prepare glass solutions of poorly water-soluble drugs with hydrophilic excipients offers an exciting and advantageous alternative to existing formulation methods such as spray-drying and co-melting. Investigating potential methods to increase water solubility begins early in drug development. Techniques described in this paper show how only a small quantity of drug can be used to determine its suitability for melt extrusion, allowing the method to be considered at the same time as salt screening and particle size reduction work, and could speed up the formulation process.

Selection of Suitable Drug and Excipient Candidates to Prepare Glass Solutions by Melt Extrusion for Immediate Release Oral Formulations

High quality tablet compression tooling is expensive, albeit consumable. With the potential for tooling damage during tablet production, transportation and storage, an acceptable method of cleaning, repairing, validating and storing tooling is required by anyone who manufactures tablets - and the regulatory inspection authorities.

Punch and Die Toolroom Logic

Larry L. Augsburger, PhD, is professor emeritus of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 20 North Pine St. Baltimore, MD 21201-1180, tel. 410.706.7615, laugsbur@rx.umaryland.edu

Decision-making tools such as expert systems and artificial neural networks can be integrated to facilitate the development of optimal formulations of hard gelatin capsules.

A Prototype Intelligent Hybrid System for Hard Gelatin Capsule Formulation Development

Anil K. Singla, PhD, is a professor and chairman at the University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India, tel/fax +91 172 541142.

Spreadability of a semisolid forrmulation is affected by factors such as formulation characteristics, rate and time of shear, temperature, site of application, and the presence of various additives.

Spreading of Semisolid Formulations: An Update

Harry G. Brittain, PhD, is the director of the Center for Pharmaceutical Physics and a member of 

's editorial advisory board. 10 Charles Rd., Milford, NJ 08848, tel. 908.996.3509, fax 908.996.3560, hbrittain@centerpharmphysics.com

Dynamic powder-sampling methods may be the best techniques for obtaining a representative sample for determining particle-size distribution.

Particle-Size Distribution II: The Problem of Sampling Powdered Solids

Mansoor A. Kahn, RPh, PhD, is a professor of pharmaceutical sciences and the director of the graduate program at Texas Tech University HSC School of Pharmacy, 1300 Coulter, Amarillo, TX 79106, tel. 806.356.4000 ext. 285, fax 806.256.4034.

Sami Nazzal is a doctoral student in pharmaceutical sciences at the School of Pharmacy at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, 1300 Coulter, Amarillo, TX 79106, tel. 806.356. 4000, ext. 285, fax. 806.356.4034

Abdel-Azim Zaghloul, PhD, is a postdoctoral research associate at the School of Pharmacy at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, 1300 Coulter, Amarillo, TX 79106, tel. 806.356. 4000, ext. 285, fax. 806.356.4034

Powdered self-emulsified dosage forms provide an attractive alternative to filled-capsule preparations, but the selection of a proper excipient is crucial.

Effect of Extragranular Microcrystalline Cellulose on Compaction, Surface Roughness, and In Vitro Dissolution of a Self-Nanoemulsified Solid Dosage Form of Ubiquinone

Solid/Semi-Solid Dosage