The influence of the API properties on the ODTs manufacturing from co-processed excipient systems

Investigating the Impact of Co-processed Excipients on the Formulation of Bromhexine Hydrochloride Orally Disintegrating Tablets (ODTs)

PURPOSE

Orodispersible tablets (orally disintegrating tablets, ODTs) have been used in pharmacotherapy for over 20 years since they overcome the problems with swallowing solid dosage forms. The successful formula manufactured by direct compression shall ensure acceptable mechanical strength and short disintegration time. Our research aimed to develop ODTs containing bromhexine hydrochloride suitable for registration in accordance with EMA requirements.

METHODS

We examined the performance of five multifunctional co-processed excipients, i.e., F-Melt® C, F-Melt® M, Ludiflash®, Pharmaburst® 500 and Prosolv® ODT G2 as well as self-prepared physical blend of directly compressible excipients. We tested powder flow, true density, compaction characteristics and tableting speed sensitivity.

RESULTS

The manufacturability studies confirmed that all the co-processed excipients are very effective as the ODT formula constituents. We noticed superior properties of both F-Melt's®, expressed by good mechanical strength of tablets and short disintegration time. Ludiflash® showed excellent performance due to low works of plastic deformation, elastic recovery and ejection. However, the tablets released less than 30% of the drug. Also, the self-prepared blend of excipients was found sufficient for ODT application and successfully transferred to production scale. Outcome of the scale-up trial revealed that the tablets complied with compendial requirements for orodispersible tablets.

CONCLUSIONS

We proved that the active ingredient cannot be absorbed in oral cavity and its dissolution profiles in media representing upper part of gastrointestinal tract are similar to marketed immediate release drug product. In our opinion, the developed formula is suitable for registration within the well-established use procedure without necessity of bioequivalence testing.

Formulation of novel niosomal repaglinide chewable tablets using coprocessed excipients: in vitro characterization, optimization and enhanced hypoglycemic activity in rats

Repaglinide (RPG), a monotherapy insulin secretagogue used to treat diabetes mellitus-type II yet, it suffers from poor water solubility and variable bioavailability (∼ 50%) due to hepatic first pass metabolism. In this study, 2FI I-Optimal statistical design was employed to encapsulate RPG into niosomal formulations using cholesterol,span 60 and peceol^TM. The optimized niosomal formulation (ONF) showed particle size 306.60 ± 84.00 nm, zeta potential -38.60 ± 1.20 mV, polydispersity index 0.48 ± 0.05 and entrapment efficiency 92.00 ± 2.60%. ONF showed > 65% RPG release that lasted for 3.5 h, and significantly higher sustained release compared to Novonorm® tablets after 6 h (p < 0.0001). TEM for ONF showed spherical vesicles with dark core and light-colored lipid bilayer membrane. RPG peaks disappeared in FTIR confirming successful RPG entrapment. To eliminate dysphagia associating conventional oral tablets, chewable tablets loaded with ONF were prepared using coprocessed excipients; Pharmaburst^® 500, F-melt^® and Prosolv^® ODT. Tablets showed friability <1%, hardness 3.9 ± 0.423-4.7 ± 0.410 Kg, thickness 4.1 ± 0.045-4.4 ± 0.017 mm and acceptable weight.All tablets showed robust RPG release at 30 min compared to Novonorm^® tablets. At 6h, chewable tablets containing only Pharmaburst^® 500 and F-melt^® showed sustained and significantly increased RPG release compared to Novonorm^® tablets (p < 0.05). Pharmaburst^® 500 and F-melt^® tablets showed rapid in vivo hypoglycemic effect with 5 and 3.5 fold significant reduction in blood glucose compared to Novonorm^® tablets (p < 0.05) at 30 min. Also, at 6h the same tablets showed 1.5 and 1.3 fold significant extended reduction in blood glucose compared to the same market product (p < 0.05). It could be concluded that chewable tablets loaded with RPG ONF represent promising novel oral drug delivery systems for diabetic patients suffering from dysphagia.

A Comparative Study on Cyclodextrin Derivatives in Improving Oral Bioavailability of Etoricoxib as a Model Drug: Formulation and Evaluation of Solid Dispersion-Based Fast-Dissolving Tablets

Etoricoxib, as a model drug, has a poor solubility and dissolution rate. Cyclodextrin derivatives can be used to solve such a problem. A comparative study was run on three cyclodextrin derivatives, namely β-CD, HP β-CD, and SBE β-CD, to solve the drug problem through the formulation of solid dispersions and their preparation into fast-dissolving tablets. Preparations utilized different (1:1, 1:2, and 1:4) drug:carrier ratios. Nine fast-dissolving tablets (containing 1:4 drug: carrier) were formulated using Prosolv ODT® and/or F-melt® type C as super-disintegrants. Optimized formulation was chosen based on a 32 factorial design. The responses chosen were the outcomes of the in vitro evaluation tests. The optimized formulation that had the highest desirability (0.86) was found to be SD-HP3, which was prepared from etoricoxib: HP β-CD at a 1:4 ratio using equal amounts of Prosolv ODT® and F-melt® type C. An in vivo evaluation of SD-HP3 on a rabbit model revealed its superiority over the marketed product Arcoxia®. SD-HP3 showed a significantly lower Tmax (13.3 min) and a significantly higher Cmax (9122.156 μg/mL), as well as a significantly higher AUC, than Arcoxia®. Thus, the solubility, dissolution, and bioavailability of etoricoxib were significantly enhanced.

Puzzle Out Machine Learning Model-Explaining Disintegration Process in ODTs

Tablets are the most common dosage form of pharmaceutical products. While tablets represent the majority of marketed pharmaceutical products, there remain a significant number of patients who find it difficult to swallow conventional tablets. Such difficulties lead to reduced patient compliance. Orally disintegrating tablets (ODT), sometimes called oral dispersible tablets, are the dosage form of choice for patients with swallowing difficulties. ODTs are defined as a solid dosage form for rapid disintegration prior to swallowing. The disintegration time, therefore, is one of the most important and optimizable critical quality attributes (CQAs) for ODTs. Current strategies to optimize ODT disintegration times are based on a conventional trial-and-error method whereby a small number of samples are used as proxies for the compliance of whole batches. We present an alternative machine learning approach to optimize the disintegration time based on a wide variety of machine learning (ML) models through the H2O AutoML platform. ML models are presented with inputs from a database originally presented by Han et al., which was enhanced and curated to include chemical descriptors representing active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) characteristics. A deep learning model with a 10-fold cross-validation NRMSE of 8.1% and an R² of 0.84 was obtained. The critical parameters influencing the disintegration of the directly compressed ODTs were ascertained using the SHAP method to explain ML model predictions. A reusable, open-source tool, the ODT calculator, is now available at Heroku platform.

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

Co-processed dry binders for ODTs are important multifunctional excipients for tablet manufacturing by direct compression. Testing their binary mixtures with lubricants is an important aspect of their use in combination with drugs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the rheological and compression properties of lubricated mixtures of co-processed dry binders Parteck® ODT, Prosolv® ODT G2 and Ludiflash®, and subsequently also the compactability and disintegration time of the tablets made thereof. The lubricants employed were magnesium stearate and sodium stearyl fumarate in the concentrations of 0.5% and 1%. The best flowability was shown by Prosolv® ODT G2 combined with magnesium stearate in the concentration of 0.5%. Lubricated mixtures with Prosolv® ODT G2 showed a lower angle of internal friction as well as lower pre-compression energy values. The values of plastic deformation energy were the highest in the case of Prosolv® ODT G2, which was also reflected in the highest tablet strength. On the contrary, the ejection force values were the lowest for this co-processed dry binder. Magnesium stearate reduced the ejection force more effectively than sodium stearyl fumarate. Prosolv® ODT G2 tablets exhibited the highest tensile strength and shortest disintegration time.

Spray Drying for Direct Compression of Pharmaceuticals

Tableting by direct compression (DC) is one of the simplest and most cost-effective drug manufacturing approaches. However, most active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and excipients lack the compression and flow properties required to meet the needs of high-speed industrial tablet presses. Therefore, the majority of DC APIs and excipients are modified via processing/co-processing particle engineering techniques to boost their properties. Spray drying is one of the most commonly employed techniques to prepare DC grades of APIs and excipients with prominent advantages. This review aims to present an overview of the commercially marketed and investigationally-prepared DC APIs and excipients produced by spray drying.

Development of orally disintegrating tablets containing solid dispersion of a poorly soluble drug for enhanced dissolution: In-vitro optimization/in-vivo evaluation

Diacerein (DCN), a potent anti-inflammatory API used to treat osteoarthritis yet, it suffers from poor water solubility which affects its oral absorption. Unabsorbed colonic DCN is converted into rhein, which is responsible for laxation as a main side effect of DCN treatment. Therefore, in this study orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs) loaded with optimized DCN solid dispersion system were prepared using different co-processed excipients (Prosolv^® ODT, Pharmaburst^® 500 and F-melt^®), aiming to achieve improved solubility, rapid absorption and consequently limited amount of rhein reaching the colon. Prepared ODTs were evaluated for physical characteristics, in-vitro drug release, disintegration and wetting times. Dissolution parameters; dissolution efficiency percent at 10 (DE _{(10 min)}%) and 30 (DE _{(30 min)}%) min and mean dissolution time (MDT) were determined. The optimized ODT showed 1.50 and 1.12 fold increase in DE _{(10 min)}% and DE _{(30 min)}%, respectively and 2 fold decrease in MDT, compared to Diacerein^® capsules. In-vivo anti-inflammatory effect of optimized ODT, using rat paw edema revealed significant increase in edema inhibition (p < 0.0465) and promoted onset of action compared to Diacerein^® capsules at 0.5 hr. It could be concluded that optimized ODT could be promising for enhanced dissolution and rapid absorption of DCN from the oral cavity.

Orodispersible Carbamazepine/Hydroxypropyl-β-Cyclodextrin Tablets Obtained by Direct Compression with Five-in-One Co-processed Excipients

The development of orodispersible tablets (ODTs) for poorly soluble and poorly flowable drugs via direct compression is still a challenge. This work aimed to develop ODTs of poorly soluble drugs by combining cyclodextrins that form inclusion complexes to improve wetting and release properties, and directly compressible co-processed excipients able to promote rapid disintegration and solve the poor flowability typical of inclusion complexes. Carbamazepine (CBZ) and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) were used, respectively, as a model of a poorly soluble drug with poor flowability and as a solubilizing agent. Specifically, CBZ-an antiepileptic and anticonvulsant drug-may benefit from the studied formulation approach, since some patients have swallowing difficulties or fear of choking and are non-cooperative. Prosolv® ODT G2 and F-Melt® type C were the studied five-in-one co-processed excipients. The complex was prepared by kneading. Flow properties of all materials and main properties of the tablets were characterized. The obtained results showed that ODTs containing CBZ/HPβCD complex can be prepared by direct compression through the addition of co-processed excipients. The simultaneous use of co-processing and cyclodextrin technologies rendered ODTs with an in vitro disintegration time in accordance with the European Pharmacopoeia requirement and with a fast and complete drug dissolution. In conclusion, the combination of five-in-one co-processed excipients and hydrophilic cyclodextrins may help addressing the ODT formulation of poorly soluble drugs with poor flowability, by direct compression and with desired release properties.

Evaluation and Comparison of Three Types of Spray Dried Coprocessed Excipient Avicel® for Direct Compression

As coprocessed excipients (CPE) gain a lot of focus recently, this article compares three commercially available CPE of Avicel brand, namely, CE 15, DG, and HFE 102. Comparison is based on measured physical properties of coprocessed mixtures, respectively, flow properties, pycnometric density, mean particle size, specific surface area, moisture content, hygroscopicity, solubility, pH leaching, electrostatic charge, SEM images, and DSC. Tablets were made employing three pressure sets. Viscoelastic properties and ejection force were assessed during compression, as well as pycnometric density, mass uniformity, height, tensile strength, friability, disintegration, and wetting times. Avicel CE 15 is of mid-range flow properties, contains mid-size and nonspherical particles, and has high hygroscopicity, growing negative charge, best lubricity, lowest tensile strength, and mid-long disintegration times. Avicel DG possesses the worst flow properties, small asymmetrical particles, lowest hygroscopicity, stable charge, intermediate lubricity, and tensile strength and exhibits fast disintegration of tablets. Finally, Avicel HFE 102 has the best flow properties, large symmetrical particles, and middle hygroscopicity and its charge fluctuates throughout blending. It also exhibits inferior lubricity, the highest tensile strength, and slow disintegration of tablets. Generally, it is impossible to select the best CPE, as their different properties fit versatile needs of countless manufacturers and final products.

Characterisation of pore structures of pharmaceutical tablets: A review

Traditionally, the development of a new solid dosage form is formulation-driven and less focus is put on the design of a specific microstructure for the drug delivery system. However, the compaction process particularly impacts the microstructure, or more precisely, the pore architecture in a pharmaceutical tablet. Besides the formulation, the pore structure is a major contributor to the overall performance of oral solid dosage forms as it directly affects the liquid uptake rate, which is the very first step of the dissolution process. In future, additive manufacturing is a potential game changer to design the inner structures and realise a tailor-made pore structure. In pharmaceutical development the pore structure is most commonly only described by the total porosity of the tablet matrix. Yet it is of great importance to consider other parameters to fully resolve the interplay between microstructure and dosage form performance. Specifically, tortuosity, connectivity, as well as pore shape, size and orientation all impact the flow paths and play an important role in describing the fluid flow in a pharmaceutical tablet. This review presents the key properties of the pore structures in solid dosage forms and it discusses how to measure these properties. In particular, the principles, advantages and limitations of helium pycnometry, mercury porosimetry, terahertz time-domain spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance and X-ray computed microtomography are discussed.

A Comparative Study of Different Proportions of Superdisintegrants: Formulation and Evaluation of Orally Disintegrating Tablets of Salbutamol Sulphate

Objectives

Superdisintegrants play important role in disintegration of orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs). Action of three different superdisintegrants, viz. croscarmellose sodium, sodium starch glycolate and Indion 414, were studied individually or in their binary combinations for their fast disintegrant action in ODTs of salbutamol sulphate prepared by direct compression.

Materials and Methods

ODTs were prepared in three different superdisintegrant combinations A, B and C. In each combination, five formulations were prepared with superdisintegrants in ratios 10:90, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25, and 90:10. Three ODT formulations were prepared with single superdisintegrant and two ODT batches were prepared from marketed ODT excipient blends, viz. Prosolv-ODT and F-Melt. Prepared ODT formulations were evaluated and compared for weight variation, hardness, friability, wetting time, disintegration and drug release.

Results

All ODTs disintegrated quickly in 32 s or less. ODT formulation F3, containing croscarmellose sodium and sodium starch glycolate, disintegrated very quickly in 19.28±3.11 s. Results of F3 were compared with the batches (F19 and F20) containing marketed coprocessed excipients and found in good agreement for various evaluation parameters. Formulation F20 was hygroscopic, while F3 did not suffer this disadvantage.

Conclusion

Thus, we may conclude that superdisintegrants in combinations may offer additive and/or synergistic disintegration possible due to their different mechanism.