In vitro evaluation of the gastrointestinal delivery of acid-sensitive pancrelipase in a next generation enteric capsule using an exocrine pancreatic insufficiency disease model.

The dissolution characteristics of five capsules (Next Generation Enteric [NGE], Vcaps® Enteric [VCE], VCE DUOCAP® [VCE/VCE] system, Hard Gelatin Capsule [HGC] as negative control, and Creon® 10,000 U as market reference) were evaluated using an in vitro simulation of the stomach and upper intestinal tract with an acidic duodenal incubation (pH 4.5 for the first 10 min, pH 6 for the remaining 17 min) to simulate exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Caffeine was a marker of capsule dissolution, and tributyrin to butyrate conversion measured pancrelipase activity.