Pharmacoscintigraphy studies to assess the feasibility of a controlled release formulation of ziprasidone.

Ziprasidone, like many BCS Class II drugs with low intrinsic solubility and a strong tendency to crystallize from supersaturated solutions, presents significant technical challenges when developing an oral controlled release dosage form. In order to achieve acceptable bioavailability and prolonged exposures for once-daily dosing, good colonic absorption and a reliable controlled release (CR) technology are necessary. To this end, a novel solubilized drug form--coated crystals made by spray drying (CCSD), was formulated and progressed into human clinical studies.

Extemporaneously prepared controlled release formulations for accelerating the early phase development of drug candidates.

Extemporaneous drug preparations, which are compounded by a pharmacist at a clinical site, are commonly used in early clinical studies to evaluate the performance of drug candidates. However, the types of formulations compounded have been limited to relatively simple preparations such as solutions, suspensions and active ingredients filled into capsules. This article describes the preparation of advanced formulations, specifically extemporaneously prepared matrix tablets and osmotic capsules, which can be used to evaluate the feasibility of controlled release for exploratory new drug candidates or new formulations of existing drugs with a differentiated medical advantage.

Solid nanocrystalline dispersions of ziprasidone with enhanced bioavailability in the fasted state.

Reducing the absorption difference between fed and fasted states is an important goal in the development of pharmaceutical dosage forms. The goal of this work was to develop and characterize a solid nanocrystalline dispersion (SNCD) to improve the oral absorption of ziprasidone in the fasted state, thereby reducing the food effect observed for the commercial formulation. A solution of ziprasidone hydrochloride and the polymer hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate (HPMCAS) was spray-dried to form a solid amorphous spray-dried dispersion (SDD), which was then exposed to a controlled temperature and relative humidity (RH) to yield the ziprasidone SNCD.