Digital Image Disintegration Analysis: a Novel Quality Control Method for Fast Disintegrating Tablets

Imaging techniques for studying solid dosage formulation: Principles and applications

Classic methods for evaluating the disintegration and dissolution kinetics of solid dosage forms are no longer sufficient to meet the growing demands in the pharmaceutical field. Hence, scientists have turned to imaging techniques and computer technology to develop innovative visualization methods. These methods allow for a visual understanding of the disintegration or dissolution process and offer valuable insights into the drug release kinetics. This article aims to provide an overview of the commonly used imaging techniques and their applications in studying the disintegration or dissolution of solid dosage forms. Therefore, imaging presents a novel and alternative approach to understanding the mechanisms of disintegration and dissolution in the formulation study of solid dosages.

Orally Dispersible Dosage Forms for Paediatric Use: Current Knowledge and Development of Nanostructure-Based Formulations

The paediatric population has always suffered from a lack of medicines tailored to their needs, especially in terms of accurate dosage, stability and acceptability. Orodispersible dosage forms have gone through a resurrection as an alternative to liquid formulations or fractioned solid formulations, although they are still subject to several inconveniences, among which the unpleasant taste and the low oral bioavailability of the API are the most significant hurdles in the way of achieving an optimal drug product. Nanostructures can address these inconveniences through their size and variety, owing to the plethora of materials that can be used in their manufacturing. Through the formation and functionalisation of nanostructures, followed by their inclusion in orodispersible dosage forms, safe, stable and acceptable medicines intended for paediatric use can be developed.

A generalized image analytical algorithm for investigating tablet disintegration

Commonly used methods for analyzing tablet disintegration are based on visual observations and can thus be user-dependent. To address this, a generally applicable image analytical algorithm has been developed for machine vision-based quantification of tablet disintegration. The algorithm has been tested with a conventional immediate release tablet, as well as model compacts disintegrating mainly through erosion, and finally, with a polymeric slow-release system. Despite differences in disintegration mechanisms between these compacts, the developed image analytical algorithm demonstrated its general applicability through quantifying the extent of disintegration without adaptation of image analytical parameters. The reproducibility of the approach was estimated with commercial tablets, and further, it could differentiate a range of different model compacts. The developed image analytical algorithm mimics the human decision-making processes and the current experience-based visual evaluation of disintegration time. In doing so the algorithmic method allows a user-independent approach for development of the optimal tablet formulation as well as gaining an understanding on how the selection of excipients and manufacturing processes ultimately influences tablet disintegration.

Seeing Is Believing: Time-Lapse Macro-Imaging of Morphological Changes of Solid Dosages as a Teaching and Research Tool

PURPOSE

Disintegration kinetics and behaviors are critical for the quality and performance of oral solid dosages. Instead of performing standard disintegration tests, herein, we aim to visualize these kinetic processes in real time.

METHOD

A visual acquisition system is developed to capture the morphological changes of tablets under static conditions via time-lapse macro-imaging. The system consists of: i) a customized quartz chamber, ii) a metal sieve with pore sizes ranging from 1 to 2 mm in diameter to allow rapid settling of the disintegrated particles, and iii) a temperature-controlled water bath. A typical workflow consists of the following steps: i) planning of the experiment to consider the type of the active pharmaceutical ingredient and drug release mechanism; ii) acquisition of photo-imaging data from at least two cameras arranged at different angles over a predetermined time period; iii) post-processing of the image data; iv) production of video clips and image analysis.

RESULTS

Representative works are shown to demonstrate the disintegration phenomenon or the morphological changes of solid drug products of various controlled- and extended-release mechanisms.

CONCLUSION

These video clips are used as teaching materials for students majoring in pharmacy or pharmaceutical chemistry, which also provide an insightful unique perspective of the microprocess during tablet fragmentation, disintegration or drug release.

Implementing the Design of Experiments (DoE) Concept into the Development Phase of Orodispersible Minitablets (ODMTs) Containing Melatonin

Development of orodispersible minitablets (ODMTs) requires consideration of aspects related to small dimensions, while ensuring short disintegration time with sufficient mechanical stability. In order to meet these and other critical quality attributes (CQAs), quality by design is encouraged. According to this approach, formulation and compression process factors were systematically studied using design of experiments (Plackett-Burman for screening purposes, full and fractional factorial design for in-depth characterization) to understand their influence on CQAs of orodispersible minitablets containing melatonin. Mathematical models describing the relationships between processing variables and attributes such as resistance to crushing and disintegration time were successfully developed, characterized by high coefficients of determination (R²_adj = 0.90-0.97) and prediction errors in the range (+2.4 to -10.8%). In conclusion, based on these models, the design space was created for melatonin ODMTs, ensuring the product's quality and process robustness. Moreover, the study demonstrated the suitability of texture analysis as an alternative to compendial measurement methods of resistance to crushing and disintegration time. Graphical abstract.