The Use of 3D Printed Molds to Cast Tablets with a Designed Disintegration Profile.

Development of new product design principles is crucial for obtaining pharmaceutical products with controlled functionality. Four different molds were designed using a computer-aided design (CAD) software and 3D printed with polylactic acid (PLA). A hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based formulation containing indomethacin as the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) was casted into the molds.

Microfluidics-based self-assembly of peptide-loaded microgels: Effect of three dimensional (3D) printed micromixer design.

In an effort to contribute to research in scalable production systems for polymeric delivery systems loaded with antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), we here investigate effects of hydrodynamic flow conditions on microfluidic particle generation. For this purpose, rapid prototyping using 3D printing was applied to prepare micromixers with three different geometric designs, which were used to prepare Ca-cross-linked alginate microgels loaded with the AMP polymyxin B in a continuous process. Based on fluid dynamic simulations, the hydrodynamic flow patterns in the micromixers were designed to be either (i) turbulent with chaotic disruption, (ii) laminar with convective mixing, or (iii) convective with microvortex formation.

Using 3D Printing for Rapid Prototyping of Characterization Tools for Investigating Powder Blend Behavior.

There is an increasing need to provide more detailed insight into the behavior of particulate systems. The current powder characterization tools are developed empirically and in many cases, modification of existing equipment is difficult. More flexible tools are needed to provide understanding of complex powder behavior, such as mixing process and segregation phenomenon.

Anti-tuberculosis drug combination for controlled oral delivery using 3D printed compartmental dosage forms: From drug product design to in vivo testing.

The design and production of an oral dual-compartmental dosage unit (dcDU) was examined in vitro and in vivo with the purpose of physically isolating and modulating the release profile of an anti-tuberculosis drug combination. Rifampicin (RIF) and isoniazid (ISO) are first line combination drugs for treatment of tuberculosis (TB) that negatively interact with each other upon simultaneous release in acidic environment. The dcDUs were designed in silico by computer aided design (CAD) and fabricated in two steps; first three-dimensional (3D) printing of the outer structure, followed by hot-melt extrusion (HME) of the drug-containing filaments.

Inhalable siRNA-loaded nano-embedded microparticles engineered using microfluidics and spray drying.

Medicines based on small interfering RNA (siRNA) are promising for the treatment of a number of lung diseases. However, efficient delivery systems and design of stable dosage forms are required for inhalation therapy, as well as cost-effective methods for manufacturing of the final product. In this study, a 3D-printed micromixer was used for preparation of siRNA-dendrimer nanocomplexes, which were subsequently processed into microparticle-based dry powders for inhalation using spray drying.

Anhydrate to hydrate solid-state transformations of carbamazepine and nitrofurantoin in biorelevant media studied in situ using time-resolved synchrotron X-ray diffraction.

Transformation of the solid-state form of a drug compound in the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract may alter the drug bioavailability and in extreme cases result in patient fatalities. The solution-mediated anhydrate-to-hydrate phase transformation was examined using an in vitro model with different biorelevant media, simulated fasted and fed state intestinal fluids containing bile salt and dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) micelles, DOPC/sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) mixture, bile salt solution and water. Two anhydrate compounds (carbamazepine, CBZ and nitrofurantoin, NF) with different overall transformation time into hydrate form were used as model compounds.

Rheology as a tool for evaluation of melt processability of innovative dosage forms.

Future manufacturing of pharmaceuticals will involve innovative use of polymeric excipients. Hot melt extrusion (HME) is an already established manufacturing technique and several products based on HME are on the market. Additionally, processing based on, e.

Simultaneous UV imaging and raman spectroscopy for the measurement of solvent-mediated phase transformations during dissolution testing.

The current work reports the simultaneous use of UV imaging and Raman spectroscopy for detailed characterization of drug dissolution behavior including solid-state phase transformations during dissolution. The dissolution of drug substances from compacts of sodium naproxen in 0.1 HCl as well as theophylline anhydrate and monohydrate in water was studied utilizing a flow-through setup.

Indomethacin: new polymorphs of an old drug.

This study reports the appearance and characterization of multiple new polymorphic forms of indomethacin. Considering the interest in amorphous suspensions for toxicology studies of poorly water-soluble drugs, we sought to investigate the crystallization behavior of amorphous indomethacin in aqueous suspension. Specifically, the effect of pH and temperature on crystallization behavior was studied.

Real-time in vitro dissolution of 5-aminosalicylic acid from single ethyl cellulose coated extrudates studied by UV imaging.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the in vitro release of 5-aminosalicylic acid from single extrudates by UV imaging and to explore the technique as a visualization tool for detecting film coating defects on extrudates coated with a thin ethyl cellulose layer. 5-Aminosalicylic acid extrudates were film coated with ethyl cellulose in a typical lab system coater equipped with one Wurster partition. Dissolution testing was performed first in a conventional paddle dissolution apparatus and second, in a flow through geometry equipped with a UV imaging system.

Application of spray-drying and electrospraying/electospinning for poorly water-soluble drugs: a particle engineering approach.

Solid dispersions have been widely studied as an attractive formulation strategy for the increasingly prevalent poorly water-soluble drug compounds, including herbal medicines, often leading to improvements in drug dissolution rate and bioavailability. However, several challenges are encountered with solid dispersions, for instance regarding their physical stability, and the full potential of these formulations has yet to be reached. Solid dispersions have mainly been used to produce immediate release systems using water-soluble polymers but an extended release system may provide equal or better performance due to enhancement in the pharmacokinetics and low variability in plasma concentration.

A new approach to dissolution testing by UV imaging and finite element simulations.

Purpose: Most dissolution testing systems rely on analyzing samples taken remotely from the dissolving sample surface at different time points with poor time resolution and therefore provide relatively unresolved temporally and spatially information on the dissolution process. In this study, a flexible numerical model was combined with a novel UV imaging system, allowing monitoring of the dissolution process with sub second time resolution.

Methods: The dissolution process was monitored by both effluent collection and UV imaging of compacts of paracetamol.

Polymorphic form of piroxicam influences the performance of amorphous material prepared by ball-milling.

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of the starting solid state form of piroxicam (anhydrate form I: PRXAH I vs form II: PRXAH II) on the properties of the resulting amorphous material. The second objective was to obtain further insight into the impact of critical factors like thermal stress, dissolution medium and storage conditions on the thermal behavior, solid state transformations and physical stability of amorphous materials. For analysis differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Raman spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffractometry (XRPD) were used.

Atomic pairwise distribution function analysis of the amorphous phase prepared by different manufacturing routes.

Amlodipine besilate, a calcium channel antagonist, exists in several solid forms. Processing of anhydrate and dihydrate forms of this drug may lead to solid state changes, and is therefore the focus of this study. Milling was performed for the anhydrate form, whereas the dihydrate form was subjected to quench cooling thereby creating an amorphous form of the drug from both starting materials.

Insights into the early dissolution events of amlodipine using UV imaging and Raman spectroscopy.

Traditional dissolution testing determines drug release to the bulk, but does not enable an understanding of the events happening close to the surface of a solid or a tablet. UV imaging is a new imaging approach that can be used to study the dissolution behavior of chemical compounds. The UV imaging instrumentation offers recording of absorbance maps with a high spatial and temporal resolution which facilitates the abundant collection of information regarding the evolving solution concentrations.