Evaluation of coating properties of enteric-coated tablets using terahertz pulsed imaging.

Purpose: Enteric coatings are used to reduce gastrointestinal side effects and control the release properties of oral medications. Although widely used, the effect of formulation and process conditions on physicochemical and functional properties of enteric coatings remains unclear.

Methods: Terahertz pulsed imaging (TPI) was employed to evaluate the coat properties of enteric coated tablets (ECTs) with various acid resistance.

Quantitative analysis of visible surface defect risk in tablets during film coating using terahertz pulsed imaging.

Tablets are the most common form of solid oral dosage produced by pharmaceutical industries. There are several challenges to successful and consistent tablet manufacturing. One well-known quality issue is visible surface defects, which generally occur due to insufficient physical strength, causing breakage or abrasion during processing, packaging, or shipping.

Development of a novel therapeutic approach using a retinoic acid-loaded microneedle patch for seborrheic keratosis treatment and safety study in humans.

Seborrheic keratosis is one of the most common skin benign tumors in humans with a high occurrence rate of 80%-100% in people > 50 years of age; however, its pathogenesis is still unclear. The standard treatment includes cryotherapy and laser surgery for physically removing lesions. Drug therapy for this condition has not been well established.

Quantitative analysis of the layer separation risk in bilayer tablets using terahertz pulsed imaging.

Layer separation is a critical defect in many bilayer tablets. Despite its importance for product quality, few studies have investigated its root cause. We evaluated bilayer tablets with varying layer separation tendencies using terahertz pulsed imaging (TPI) in comparison with other analytical methods such as tensile strength measurements, friability testing, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray computed tomography (XRCT).

Performance and characteristics evaluation of a sodium hyaluronate-based microneedle patch for a transcutaneous drug delivery system.

The MicroHyala(®) microneedle (MN) patch was developed to provide a simple, safe, and effective drug delivery system. In this study, we examined the performance and characteristics of our fabricated MN patch to identify potential quality issues with future commercial application. Mechanical failure force analysis identified that the strength of the MN patch was affected by environmental humidity, because higher moisture levels weakened the strength of the MN.

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccination using a microneedle patch.

Tuberculosis (TB) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis continues to be a leading cause of mortality among bacterial diseases, and the bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the only licensed vaccine for human use against this disease. TB prevention and control would benefit from an improved method of BCG vaccination that simplifies logistics and eliminates dangers posed by hypodermic needles without compromising immunogenicity. Here, we report the design and engineering of a BCG-coated microneedle vaccine patch for a simple and improved intradermal delivery of the vaccine.