Development of multiple-unit pellet system tablets by employing the SeDeM expert diagram system II: pellets containing different active pharmaceutical ingredients

SeDeM as a Tool to Validate Drug Substance Manufacturing Processes and Assess Scalability and Suitability for Direct Compression: Supplier Screening

During the development of an oral solid form of a drug substance, a thorough understanding of the critical material attributes is necessary, as the physical properties of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) can profoundly influence the drug product's manufacturability, critical quality attributes, and bioavailability. The objective of this study was to validate the manufacturing process of the drug Linezolid from three different sources at both the pilot and industrial scale and to identify differences in critical material attributes between the API manufacturers. Furthermore, the scalability factor between the pilot and industrial scale and the suitability of a process for direct compression were also evaluated. In the present study, the different sources of API were characterized by SeDeM methodology, particle size distribution, and scanning electron microscopy determinations. The statistical analysis revealed that no statistically significant differences were found for any of the parameters under study for the same API source analyzed on both scales. On the other hand, for most of the parameters evaluated, statistical differences were observed between the different sources. It was concluded that SeDeM was able to successfully validate the API manufacturing process, assess scalability, and distinguish between sources. Therefore, it could be highly valuable in the formulation phase to select the best API source.

Using a Material Library to Understand the Change of Tabletability by High Shear Wet Granulation

Understanding the tabletability change of materials after granulation is critical for the formulation and process design in tablet development. In this paper, a material library consisting of 30 pharmaceutical materials was used to summarize the pattern of change of tabletability during high shear wet granulation and tableting (HSWGT). Each powdered material and the corresponding granules were characterized by 19 physical properties and nine compression behavior classification system (CBCS) parameters. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to compare the physical properties and compression behaviors of ungranulated powders and granules. A new index, namely the relative change of tabletability (CoT_r), was proposed to quantify the tabletability change, and its advantages over the reworking potential were demonstrated. On the basis of CoT_r values, the tabletability change classification system (TCCS) was established. It was found that approximately 40% of materials in the material library presented a loss of tabletability (i.e., Type I), 50% of materials had nearly unchanged tabletability (i.e., Type II), and 10% of materials suffered from increased tabletability (i.e., Type III). With the help of tensile strength (TS) vs. compression pressure curves implemented on both powders and granules, a data fusion method and the PLS2 algorithm were further applied to identify the differences in material properties requirements for direct compression (DC) and HSWGT. Results indicated that increasing the plasticity or porosity of the starting materials was beneficial to acquiring high TS of tablets made by HSWGT. In conclusion, the presented TCCS provided a means for the initial risk assessment of materials in tablet formulation design and the data modeling method helped to predict the impact of formulation ingredients on the strength of compacts.

Effect of functional excipients on the dissolution and membrane permeation of furosemide formulated into multiple-unit pellet system (MUPS) tablets

The effect of functional excipients (i.e. chitosan, sodium lauryl sulphate, NaHCO₃, and CaCO₃) formulated in multiple-unit pellet system (MUPS) tablets has been investigated on the dissolution and permeability of furosemide, a BCS class IV compound. Spherical beads were produced and compressed into MUPS tablets. MUPS tablet formulations were evaluated for hardness, disintegration, mass variation, friability, and dissolution (pH 1.2, pH 4.6, and pH 7.4). Ex vivo permeability studies were conducted across excised pig tissues (pyloric antrum and duodenal region) on selected experimental MUPS tablet formulations. Histological analysis was conducted on the tissues after exposure to selected experimental MUPS tablet formulations. Dissolution results in the 0.1 M HCl (pH 1.2) showed the highest effect of the excipients on furosemide release. Dissolution parameters showed increased dissolution of furosemide for the MUPS tablet formulations containing functional excipients: a 4.5-10-fold increase in the AUC values, the %_max showed a 60-70% increase and up to a 19-fold increase in DRi was seen. Permeability results revealed a 2.5-fold higher cumulative percentage transport for selected formulations. The results proved that functional excipients incorporated into beads, compressed into MUPS tablet formulations increased furosemide release as well as permeation across excised intestinal tissues.

Mathematical approaches for powders and multiparticulate units processability characterization in pharmaceutical development

An understanding of material properties and processing effects on solid dosage forms performance is required within the Quality-by-design approach to pharmaceutical development. Several research groups have developed mathematical approaches aiming to facilitate the selection of formulation composition and the manufacturing technology. These approaches are based on material particulate, bulk and compression-related properties. This paper provides theoretical assumptions and a critical review of different mathematical approaches for processability characterization of powders and multiparticulate units. Mathematical approaches have mainly been developed for directly compressible materials, but sometimes other manufacturing technologies, such as roller compaction and wet granulation, are also considered. The obtained compact tensile strength has been implemented in the majority of approaches, as an important characteristic describing compact mechanical properties. Flowability should be also evaluated, since it affects sample processability. Additionally, particle size and shape, material density and compressibility, compactibility and tabletability profiles have been also distinguished as relevant properties for solid dosage form development. The application of mathematical approaches may contribute to the mechanistic understanding of critical material attributes and facilitate dosage form development and optimization. However, it is essential to select the appropriate one, based on the intended dosage form characteristics, in order to ensure that all relevant powder/multiparticulate units characteristics are implemented and critically evaluated.

Computational pharmaceutics - A new paradigm of drug delivery

In recent decades pharmaceutics and drug delivery have become increasingly critical in the pharmaceutical industry due to longer time, higher cost, and less productivity of new molecular entities (NMEs). However, current formulation development still relies on traditional trial-and-error experiments, which are time-consuming, costly, and unpredictable. With the exponential growth of computing capability and algorithms, in recent ten years, a new discipline named "computational pharmaceutics" integrates with big data, artificial intelligence, and multi-scale modeling techniques into pharmaceutics, which offered great potential to shift the paradigm of drug delivery. Computational pharmaceutics can provide multi-scale lenses to pharmaceutical scientists, revealing physical, chemical, mathematical, and data-driven details ranging across pre-formulation studies, formulation screening, in vivo prediction in the human body, and precision medicine in the clinic. The present paper provides a comprehensive and detailed review in all areas of computational pharmaceutics and "Pharma 4.0", including artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms, molecular modeling, mathematical modeling, process simulation, and physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling. We not only summarized the theories and progress of these technologies but also discussed the regulatory requirements, current challenges, and future perspectives in the area, such as talent training and a culture change in the future pharmaceutical industry.

Investigation into liquisolid system processability based on the SeDeM Expert System approach

Liquisolid systems are emerging formulation approach for poorly soluble drugs, based on adsorption/absorption of drug dispersion and obtaining free-flowing powder with good compressibility. SeDeM Expert System represents a powder processability evaluation method. It may provide additional insight into liquisolid systems critical quality attributes, but the contribution of this approach remains to be explored. The aims of this study were: pellet preparation by combination of liquisolid technology and water granulation/extrusion, evaluation of liquisolid based systems (pellets/admixtures) and investigation into the applicability of SeDeM Expert System in liquisolid systems characterization. Pellets/admixtures were prepared with microcrystalline cellulose as carrier and crospovidone/silicon dioxide as coating agent. Ibuprofen solution in polyethylene glycol 400 was used as liquid phase. After comprehensive sample characterization, experimentally obtained parameters were mathematically transformed and evaluated in the SeDeM Expert System framework. Pellets exhibited low aspect ratio and excellent flowability, despite liquid load up to 52.2%. The investigated liquisolid admixtures exhibited good flowability and faster drug dissolution than pellets. Single pellet crushing test results exhibited strong correlation with compact indentation hardness and may be used as indentation hardness predictor. SeDeM Expert System provides useful insight into liquisolid system processability and comparative evaluation and it may facilitate final solid dosage form development.

Development of a Biphasic-Release Multiple-Unit Pellet System with Diclofenac Sodium Using Novel Calcium Phosphate-Based Starter Pellets

Novel calcium phosphate-based starter pellets were used to develop a biphasic-release multiple-unit pellet system (MUPS) with diclofenac sodium as a model drug in the form of hard gelatin capsules. For comparative purposes, corresponding formulations based on the inert cores made of microcrystalline cellulose, sucrose and isomalt were prepared. The developed system consisted of two types of drug-layered pellets attaining different release patterns: delayed-release (enteric-coated) and extended-release. Dissolution characteristics were examined using both compendial and biorelevant methods, which reflected fed and fasting conditions. The results were collated with an equivalent commercial product but prepared with the direct pelletization technique.

SeDeM Expert System, an Innovative Tool for Developing Directly Compressible Tablets: A Review

BACKGROUND

SeDeM (Sediment Delivery Model) expert system is a preformulation tool employed for evaluating direct compression suitability of various excipients. SeDeM is a 12 parameters derived diagram and SeDeM-ODT (Sediment Delivery Model-Orodispersible tablets) is a 15 parameters derived diagram that can be used as a research tool for reducing the product development time. The best possible excipients for a specified pharmaceutical active ingredient could be screened for direct compression suitability.

OBJECTIVE

SeDeM expert system has been successfully used and implemented for characterizing galenic properties of pharmaceutical excipients, direct compression suitability of excipients, development of ODT formulations, development of sustained-release formulations, and development of tablets of taste-masked drugs.

CONCLUSION

In the present review paper, the development and applications of SeDeM and SeDeMODT systems have been discussed in detail.

A compression behavior classification system of pharmaceutical powders for accelerating direct compression tablet formulation design

In this paper, a compression behavior classification system (CBCS) for direct compression (DC) pharmaceutical powders is presented. Seven descriptors from a series of compression models for powder compressibility, compactibility and tabletability analysis were included in the CBCS. A new tabletability index d was proposed to differentiate three categories of tensile strength (TS) vs. pressure relationships, and its physical meaning was explained thoroughly. 130 materials containing diverse pharmaceutical excipients and natural product powders (NPPs) were fully characterized and were compiled into an in-house developed material library, in which 70 materials with potential DC applications were used to justify the effectiveness of the CBCS. Principle component analysis (PCA) was used to uncover the latent structure of compression variables. Moreover, partial least squares (PLS) regression models are established in prediction of both tablet TS and solid fraction (SF) based on the raw materials' physical characteristics, the compression behavior indices and the compression force. The obtained scores and loadings are used to group the materials and the compression variables, respectively. Different categories of tabletability for DC powders were clearly clustered along two orthogonal directions pointing to the index d and the compression force. Finally, a multi-objective design space was identified under the latent variable space, summarizing the operationally possible region for both material properties and compression pressure required in DC tablet formulation design.