In vitro behavior of dronedarone hydrochloride loaded pellets using vacuum impregnation technique

Microparticles and multi-unit systems for advanced drug delivery

Microparticles have unique benefits in the formulation of multiparticulate and multi-unit type pharmaceutical dosage forms allowing improved drug safety and efficacy with favorable pharmacokinetics and patient centricity. On the other hand, the above advantages are served by high and well reproducible quality attributes of the medicinal product where even flexible design and controlled processability offer success as well as possible longer product life-cycle for the manufacturers. Moreover, the specific demands of patients can be taken into account, including simplified dosing regimens, flexible dosage, drug combinations, palatability, and ease of swallowing. In the more than 70 years since the first modified-release formulation appeared on the market, many new formulations have been marketed and many publications have appeared in the literature. More unique and newer pharmaceutical technologies and excipients have become available for producing tailor-made particles with micrometer dimensions and beyond. All these have contributed to the fact that the sub-units (e.g. minitablets, pellets, microspheres) that make up a multiparticulate system can vary widely in composition and properties. Some units have mucoadhesive properties and others can float to contribute to a suitable release profile that can be designed for the multiparticulate formula as a whole. Nowadays, there are some available formulations on the market, which are able to release the active substance even for several months (3 or 6 months depending on the type of treatment). In this review, the latest developments in technologies that have been used for a long time are presented, as well as innovative solutions such as the applicability of 3D printing to produce subunits of multiparticulate systems. Furthermore, the diversity of multiparticulate systems, different routes of administration are also presented, touching the ones which are capable of carrying the active substance as well as the relevant, commercially available multiparticle-based medical devices. The versatility in size from 1 µm and multiplicity of formulation technologies promise a solid foundation for the future applications of dosage form design and development.

Cylindrical granules in the development of mesalazine solid formulations (Ⅰ): Physical properties, compression behaviors, and tableting performances

Cylindrical granules have been employed in the pharmaceutical industry. However, to our knowledge, the study on the compressibility and tabletability of cylindrical granules has not been reported. This study aimed to explore the effects of the physical properties of cylindrical granules on the compression behaviors and the tableting performances, with mesalazine (MSZ) as a model drug. First, the six formulations of MSZ cylindrical granules were extruded by changing the ethanol proportion in the binder. Then, the physical characteristics of MSZ cylindrical granules were systematically studied. Subsequently, the compressibility and tabletability were evaluated using different mathematic models. It was worth noting that highly porous cylindrical granules possessed favorable compressibility and good tabletability due to the increased pore volume, reduced density, and decreased fracture forces. Finally, dissolution tests were conducted and highly porous granules showed higher dissolution rates than the less porous ones, but an opposite trend was observed for the corresponding tablets. This study proved the importance of physical properties in the tableting process of cylindrical granules and provided strategies to improve their compressibility and tabletability.