Selective laser sintering for printing bilayer tablets.

In this study Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) was used to produce bilayer tablets containing rosuvastatin and acetylsalicylic acid. Initially, monolithic tablets of each drug were manufactured using different laser intensities in order to identify their impact on the tablet's dissolution, friability and hardness. After the optimization, the final bilayer tablet was fabricated using a new method, that allowed the printing using different powder blends.

3D Printing of Personalised Carvedilol Tablets Using Selective Laser Sintering.

Selective laser sintering (SLS) has drawn attention for the fabrication of three-dimensional oral dosage forms due to the plurality of drug formulations that can be processed. The aim of this work was to employ SLS with a CO laser for the manufacturing of carvedilol personalised dosage forms of various strengths. Carvedilol (CVD) and vinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer (Kollidon VA64) blends of various ratios were sintered to produce CVD tablets of 3.

3D Printed Flavor-Rich Chewable Pediatric Tablets Fabricated Using Microextrusion for Point of Care Applications.

Over the past few years, 3D printing technologies have gained interest in the development of medicinal products for personalized use at the point of care. The printing of drug products offers personalization and flexibility in dose, shape/design, and flavor, potentially enhancing acceptability in pediatric populations. In this study, we present the design and development of ibuprofen (IBU) chewable flavor-rich personalized dosage forms by using microextrusion for the processing of powdered blends.

Amorphous Drug-Polymer Salts: Maximizing Proton Transfer to Enhance Stability and Release.

An amorphous drug-polymer salt (ADPS) can be remarkably stable against crystallization at high temperature and humidity (e.g., 40°C/75% RH) and provide fast release.

Personalised paediatric chewable Ibuprofen tablets fabricated using 3D micro-extrusion printing technology.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is becoming an attractive technology for the design and development of personalized paediatric dosage forms with improved palatability. In this work micro-extrusion based printing was implemented for the fabrication of chewable paediatric ibuprofen (IBU) tablets by assessing a range of front runner polymers in taste masking. Due to the drug-polymer miscibility and the IBU plasticization effect, micro-extrusion was proved to be an ideal technology for processing the drug/polymer powder blends for the printing of paediatric dosage forms.

Kinetics of Surface Enrichment of a Polymer in a Glass-Forming Molecular Liquid.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has been used to measure the surface concentration and the surface enrichment kinetics of a polymer in a glass-forming molecular liquid. As a model, the bulk-miscible system of maltitol-polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was studied. The PVP concentration is significantly higher at the liquid/vapor interface than in the bulk by up to a factor of 170, and the effect increases with its molecular weight.

Superiority of Mesoporous Silica-Based Amorphous Formulations over Spray-Dried Solid Dispersions.

The aim of this study was to compare the performance of two amorphous formulation strategies: mesoporous silica via solvent impregnation, and solid dispersions by spray drying. Poorly soluble fenofibrate was chosen as the model drug compound. A total of 30% Fenofibrate-loaded mesoporous silica and spray-dried solid dispersions (SDD) were prepared for head-to-head comparisons, including accelerated stability, manufacturability, and in vitro biorelevant dissolution.

Surface Enrichment of Surfactants in Amorphous Drugs: An X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Study.

Surfactants are commonly incorporated into amorphous formulations to improve the wetting and dissolution of hydrophobic drugs. Using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we find that a surfactant can significantly enrich at the surface of an amorphous drug, up to 100% coverage, wihout phase separation in the bulk. We compared four different surfactants (Span 80, Span 20, Tween 80, and Tween 20) in the same host acetaminophen and the same surfactant Span 80 in four different hosts (acetaminophen, lumefantrine, posaconazole, and itraconazole).

Investigation on hot melt extrusion and prediction on 3D printability of pharmaceutical grade polymers.

The development of printable filaments has been identified as a critical aspect for the processing of pharmaceutical grade polymers and the fabrication of oral solid dosage forms. In this study a range of plain and drug loaded polymers were investigated and assessed for their printability in comparison to commercial filaments. Physicochemical characterizations of the polymers included differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and rheology were studied prior to Hot Melt Extrusion processing for the filament fabrication.

3D printed bilayer tablet with dual controlled drug release for tuberculosis treatment.

In this study Fusion Deposition Modelling (FDM) was employed to design and fabricate a bilayer tablet consisting of isoniazid (INZ) and rifampicin (RFC) for the treatment of tuberculosis. INZ was formulated in hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) matrix to allow drug release in the stomach (acidic conditions) and RFC was formulated in hypromellose acetate succinate (HPMC - AS) matrix to allow drug release in the upper intestine (alkaline conditions). This design may offer a better clinical efficacy by minimizing the degradation of RFC in the acidic condition and potentially avoid drug-drug interaction.

A preliminary assessment of the impact of hot-melt extrusion on the physico-mechanical properties of a tablet.

Objectives: This research aimed at investigating the difference between the powders prior to and after hot melt extrusion. A preliminary assessment was also conducted to gain a better mechanistic understanding of the impact of hot melt extrusion on tabletability.

Materials And Methods: Kollidon® VA 64 and mannitol were sieved into different particles sizes and used as is or after drying for 24 h.

Evaluation of different screening methods to understand the dissolution behaviors of amorphous solid dispersions.

Objective: The objectives of the current study were to understand the dissolution behaviors of amorphous solid dispersions (ASD) using different screening methods and their correlation to the dissolution of formulated products.

Materials And Methods: A poorly soluble compound, compound E, was used as a model compound. ASDs were prepared with HPMC, Kollidon VA64 and Eudragit EPO using hot-melt extrusion.

Oral delivery of poorly soluble compounds by supersaturated systems.

"New formulation and manufacturing methods are now available to efficiently and effectively increase solubility and maintain the supersaturation of a thermodynamically metastable state".

Investigation of drug delivery by iontophoresis in a surgical wound utilizing microdialysis.

Purpose: This study investigated the penetration of lidocaine around and through a sutured incision following the application of iontophoretic and passive patches in the CD Hairless rat.

Materials And Methods: Concentrations in localized areas (suture, dermis, subcutaneous, and vascular) were determined using microdialysis sampling followed by analysis using liquid chromatography with UV detection.

Results: Iontophoresis significantly enhanced the dermal penetration of lidocaine.

The application of ink-jet technology for the coating and loading of drug-eluting stents.

The combination of drugs with devices, where locally delivered drugs elute from the device, has demonstrated distinct advantages over therapies involving systemic or local drugs and devices administered separately. Drug-eluting stents are most notable. Ink jet technology offers unique advantages for the coating of very small medical devices with drugs and drug-coating combinations, especially in cases where the active pharmaceutical agent is very expensive to produce and wastage is to be minimized.