Ammonio Polymethacrylate-Coated Diltiazem: Drug Release from Single Pellets, Media Dependence, and Swelling Behavior

Influence of talc and hydrogenated castor oil on the dissolution behavior of metformin-loaded pellets with acrylic-based sustained release coating

Multi-unit pellet system (MUPS) is of great interest as it is amenable to customization. MUPS comprises multi-particulates, usually as pellets or spheroids, which can be coated with diffusion barrier coatings. One commonly used diffusion barrier coating is the methacrylic acid copolymer, which can be used as a taste masking, enteric or sustained release polymer. While the versatility of methacrylic acid copolymers makes them pliable for pellet coating, there are impediments associated with their use. Additives commonly required with this polymer, including plasticizer and anti-adherent, have been shown to weaken the film strength. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of osmotic pressure within the core on the sustained release coat integrity and functionality. Hydrogenated castor oil (HCO) was chosen as the additive to be studied. Metformin-loaded pellets, prepared via extrusion-spheronization, were coated with ethyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate copolymer (Eudragit RS 30 D) with talc, talc-HCO, or HCO to different coat thicknesses. Drug release was investigated using the USP dissolution apparatus 2 and an ultraviolet imager. The swelling of the pellets when wetted was monitored by video imaging through a microscope. When coated to 7.5 % coat weight gain, coats with HCO slowed down drug release more than the other pellets. The pellets also swelled the most, which suggests that they were more resistant to the osmotic pressure exerted by metformin. For drugs which exert high osmotic pressure, HCO can serve as an efficient alternative to talc in the preparation of methacrylic acid copolymer coatings.

The sound of tablets during coating erosion, disintegration, deaggregation and dissolution

This research aims to address a gap in our understanding of the mechanisms by which pharmaceutical tablets achieve highly reproducible and predictable drug release. The present industrial and regulatory practice is centred around tablet dissolution, i.e. what follows disintegration, yet the vast majority of problems that are found in formulation dissolution testing can be traced back to the erratic disintegration behaviour of the medicinal product. It is only due to the distinct lack of quantitative measurement techniques for disintegration analysis that this situation arises. Current methods involve costly, and time-consuming test equipment, resulting in a need for more simple, green and efficient methods which have the potential to enable rapid development and to accelerate routine solid drug formulation dissolution and disintegration testing. In this study, we present a novel approach to track several sequential tablet dissolution processes, including coating erosion, disintegration, deaggregation and dissolution using Broadband Acoustic Resonance Dissolution Spectroscopy (BARDS). BARDS, in combination with minimal usage of UV spectroscopy, can effectively track these processes. The data also show that a solid oral dose formulation has an intrinsic acoustic signature which is specific to the method of manufacture and excipient composition.

Multispectral UV Imaging for Determination of the Tablet Coating Thickness

The applicability of off-line multispectral UV imaging in combination with multivariate data analysis was investigated to determine the coating thickness and its distribution on the tablet surface during lab-scale coating. The UV imaging results were compared with the weight gain measured for each individual tablet and the corresponding coating thickness and its distribution measured by terahertz pulsed imaging (TPI). Three different tablet formulations were investigated, 2 of which contained UV-active tablet cores. Three coating formulations were applied: Aquacoat® ECD (a mainly translucent coating) and Eudragit® NE (a turbid coating containing solid particles). It was shown that UV imaging is a fast and nondestructive method to predict individual tablet weight gain as well as coating thickness. The coating thickness distribution profiles determined by UV imaging correlated to the results of the TPI measurements. UV imaging appears to hold a significant potential as a process analytical technology tool for determination of the tablet coating thickness and its distribution resulting from its high measurement speed, high molar absorptivity, and a high scattering coefficient, in addition to relatively low costs.

Coatings of Eudragit® RL and L-55 Blends: Investigations on the Drug Release Mechanism

In a previous study, generally lower drug release rates from RL:L55 blend coated pellets in neutral/basic release media than in acidic release media were reported. The aim of this study was to obtain information on the drug release mechanism of solid dosage forms coated with blends of Eudragit® RL (RL) and Eudragit® L-55 (L55). Swelling experiments with free films were analyzed spectroscopically and gravimetrically to identify the physicochemical cause for this release behavior. With Raman spectroscopy, the swelling of copolymer films could be monitored. IR spectroscopic investigations on RL:L55 blends immersed in media at pH 6.8 confirmed the formation of interpolyelectrolyte complexes (IPECs) that were not detectable after swelling in hydrochloric acid pH 1.2. Further investigations revealed that these IPECs decreased the extent of ion exchange between the quaternary ammonium groups of RL and the swelling media. This is presumably the reason for the previously reported decreased drug permeability of RL:L55 coatings in neutral/basic media as ion exchange is the determining factor in drug release from RL coated dosage forms. Gravimetric erosion studies confirmed that L55 was not leached out of the film blends during swelling in phosphate buffer pH 6.8. In contrast to all other investigated films, the 4:1 (RL:L55) blend showed an extensive swelling within 24 h at pH 6.8 which explains the reported sigmoidal release behavior of 4:1 blend coated pellets. These results help to understand the release behavior of RL:L55 blend coated solid dosage forms.