Applying a novel electrostatic dry powder coating technology to pellets.

The present study aimed to apply a novel dry powder technology to coat pellets with different coating materials grounded into fine powders. Piroxicam, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, was used as the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). Eudragit® EPO, Eudragit® RS/RL and Acryl EZE were used as the coating materials to achieve immediate release, sustained release and delayed release, respectively. Three steps including preheating, powder adhesion and curing were carried out to form the coating film while liquid plasticizers were used to decrease the glass transition temperature of coating powders and also served to reduce the electrical resistance of pellets. Results of SEM indicated coating film could be better formed by increasing curing temperature or extending curing time. Dissolution tests showed that three different drug release profiles, including immediate release, sustained release and delayed release, were achieved by this coating technology with different coating formulations. And the dry powder coated pellets using this developed technology exhibited an excellent stability with 1 month at 40 °C/75% RH. The coating procedure could be shortened to within 120 min and the use of fluidized hot air was minimized, both cutting down the overall cost dramatically compared to organic solvent coating and aqueous coating. All results demonstrated that the novel electrostatic dry powder coating method is a promising technology in the pharmaceutical coating industry.