Study of rheological and tableting properties of lubricated mixtures of co-processed dry binders for orally disintegrating tablets

Effect of co-processed excipient type on properties of orodispersible tablets containing captopril, tramadol, and domperidone

An important feature of orodispersible tablets (ODTs) is the convenient administration of the drugs, in some cases, faster onset of action, stability maintenance, and dose precision. This work focused on the preparation of ODTs containing mannitol-based co-processed excipients Prosolv® ODT G2, Ludiflash® and Parteck® ODT in combination with tramadol, captopril, and domperidone by direct compression. Prosolv® ODT G2 showed high energy of plastic deformation due to the content of microcrystalline cellulose. Parteck® ODT provided compact tablets due to the content of granulated mannitol. All drugs decreased tensile strength, increased friability, prolonged disintegration time, and decreased the porosity of tablets. Tablets containing Prosolv® ODT G2 with captopril, domperidone, and tramadol; and Parteck® ODT with domperidone met the requirements for ODTs production, i.e., friability ≤ 1% and disintegration time ≤ 180 s, fast wetting time, high water absorption ratio, and adequate tensile strength. The disintegration time was tested using both the pharmacopeial method and the BJKSN-13 apparatus. The results indicate the significant difference between these methods, with the disintegration time being longer when tested with the BJKSN-13 instrument.

Evaluation of Newly Designed and Traditional Punches in Manufacturing of Scored ODTs

To overcome difficulties in splitting, uneven breaking and inconsistent dosing frequently reported with scored tablets, a novel punch was proposed for the manufacturing of easy breakable tablets (EBTs). In this work, the performance of the EBT punch was investigated vs. a ridged one for traditional breakable tablets (TBTs) using a furosemide powder formulation for orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs). A Face Centered Central Composite Design was applied to investigate the influence of punch type, compaction force, tablet weight and press rotation speed on the mechanical properties of ODTs, their behavior in aqueous fluids and aptitude for splitting. Mass uniformity and adequate crushing strength, friability, water uptake, disintegration and wetting times were obtained from both TBTs and EBTs. Interestingly, more favorable splitting behavior was shown by tablets manufactured by the novel punch, in view of lower mass loss and portion mass variability after breaking. The ease of breaking, accuracy of subdivision and mass loss of ODTs were also evaluated by a volunteer (n = 20) panel test. Less difficulty was found in splitting EBTs than TBTs (p < 0.05), and a larger number of tablets were properly broken into four parts. Thus, this study proved the usefulness of the EBT punch in overcoming drawbacks associated with divisible tablets.