Hemlata Patil

Hot-Melt Extrusion: from Theory to Application in Pharmaceutical Formulation

Hot-melt extrusion (HME) is a promising technology for the production of new chemical entities in the developmental pipeline and for improving products already on the market. In drug discovery and development, industry estimates that more than 50% of active pharmaceutical ingredients currently used belong to the biopharmaceutical classification system II (BCS class II), which are characterized as poorly water-soluble compounds and result in formulations with low bioavailability. Therefore, there is a critical need for the pharmaceutical industry to develop formulations that will enhance the solubility and ultimately the bioavailability of these compounds. HME technology also offers an opportunity to earn intellectual property, which is evident from an increasing number of patents and publications that have included it as a novel pharmaceutical formulation technology over the past decades. This review had a threefold objective. First, it sought to provide an overview of HME principles and present detailed engineered extrusion equipment designs. Second, it included a number of published reports on the application of HME techniques that covered the fields of solid dispersions, microencapsulation, taste masking, targeted drug delivery systems, sustained release, films, nanotechnology, floating drug delivery systems, implants, and continuous manufacturing using the wet granulation process. Lastly, this review discussed the importance of using the quality by design approach in drug development, evaluated the process analytical technology used in pharmaceutical HME monitoring and control, discussed techniques used in HME, and emphasized the potential for monitoring and controlling hot-melt technology.

Coupling 3D printing with hot-melt extrusion to produce controlled-release tablets

The main objective of this work was to explore the potential of coupling fused deposition modeling in three-dimensional (3D) printing with hot-melt extrusion (HME) technology to facilitate additive manufacturing, in order to fabricate tablets with enhanced extended release properties. Acetaminophen was used as the model drug and different grades and ratios of polymers were used to formulate tablets. Three-point bending and hardness tests were performed to determine the mechanical properties of the filaments and tablets. 3D-printed tablets, directly compressed mill-extruded tablets, and tablets prepared from a physical mixture were evaluated for drug release rates using a USP-II dissolution apparatus. The surface and cross-sectional morphology of the 3D-printed tablets were assessed by scanning electron microscopy. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis were used to characterize the crystal states and thermal properties of materials, respectively. The 3D-printed tablets had smooth surfaces and tight structures; therefore, they showed better extended drug release rates than the directly compressed tablets did. Further, this study clearly demonstrated the feasibility of coupling HME with 3D printing technology, which allows for the formulation of drug delivery systems using different grades and ratios of pharmaceutical polymers. In addition, formulations can be made based on the personal needs of patients.

Contribution of hot-melt extrusion technology to advance drug delivery in the 21st century

ABSTRACT Introduction: Hot-melt extrusion (HME) technology is applied successfully in the plastic, rubber and food industry. HME has also emerged as an important technology for drug delivery applications in pharmaceutical research and manufacturing because of its process automation and low-cost scale-up properties, which reduce labor costs and capital investment. There are a number of commercial FDA-approved HME-derived products, signifying the commercial feasibility of this novel technique in drug delivery applications. HME is a highly efficient, solvent-free continuous processing technique for the development of solid dispersions; thus, research efforts to develop sustained, modified and targeted drug delivery systems to improve the solubility and bioavailability of poorly water-soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are of interest. Areas covered: This review focuses on both the innovations and applications of HME in the production of pharmaceutical formulations, and on the significant findings of the general principles regarding formulation and process development via HME as described in published articles. Expert opinion: Challenges faced by pharmaceutical companies to produce efficient drug formulations may be partly overcome by HME’s advantages – high drug-loading capacity, good content uniformity, cost-effectiveness, and ease of processing scale-up. Nevertheless, HME’s high processing temperatures may be an obstacle if adequate knowledge about the product’s formulation is lacking.

Continuous Production of Fenofibrate Solid Lipid Nanoparticles by Hot-Melt Extrusion Technology: a Systematic Study Based on a Quality by Design Approach

This contribution describes a continuous process for the production of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) as drug-carrier systems via hot-melt extrusion (HME). Presently, HME technology has not been used for the manufacturing of SLN. Generally, SLN are prepared as a batch process, which is time consuming and may result in variability of end-product quality attributes. In this study, using Quality by Design (QbD) principles, we were able to achieve continuous production of SLN by combining two processes: HME technology for melt-emulsification and high-pressure homogenization (HPH) for size reduction. Fenofibrate (FBT), a poorly water-soluble model drug, was incorporated into SLN using HME-HPH methods. The developed novel platform demonstrated better process control and size reduction compared to the conventional process of hot homogenization (batch process). Varying the process parameters enabled the production of SLN below 200 nm. The dissolution profile of the FBT SLN prepared by the novel HME-HPH method was faster than that of the crude FBT and a micronized marketed FBT formulation. At the end of a 5-h in vitro dissolution study, a SLN formulation released 92–93% of drug, whereas drug release was approximately 65 and 45% for the marketed micronized formulation and crude drug, respectively. Also, pharmacokinetic study results demonstrated a statistical increase in Cmax, Tmax, and AUC0–24 h in the rate of drug absorption from SLN formulations as compared to the crude drug and marketed micronized formulation. In summary, the present study demonstrated the potential use of hot-melt extrusion technology for continuous and large-scale production of SLN.

The effects of polymer carrier, hot melt extrusion process and downstream processing parameters on the moisture sorption properties of amorphous solid dispersions.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of polymer carrier, hot melt extrusion and downstream processing parameters on the water uptake properties of amorphous solid dispersions.

Formulation and development of pH-independent/dependent sustained release matrix tablets of ondansetron HCl by a continuous twin-screw melt granulation process

The objective of the present study was to develop pH-independent/dependent sustained release (SR) tablets of ondansetron HCl dihydrate (OND), a selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist that is used for prevention of nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy, radiotherapy and postoperative treatment. The challenge with the OND API is its pH-dependent solubility and relatively short elimination half-life. Therefore, investigations were made to solve these problems in the current study. Formulations were prepared using stearic acid as a binding agent via a melt granulation process in a twin-screw extruder. The micro-environmental pH of the tablet was manipulated by the addition of fumaric acid to enhance the solubility and release of OND from the tablet. The in vitro release study demonstrated sustained release for 24h with 90% of drug release in formulations using stearic acid in combination with ethyl cellulose, whereas 100% drug release in 8h for stearic acid-hydroxypropylcellulose matrices. The formulation release kinetics was correlated to the Higuchi diffusion model and a non-Fickian drug release mechanism. The results of the present study demonstrated for the first time the pH dependent release from hydrophilic-lipid matrices as well as pH independent release from hydrophobic-lipid matrices for OND SR tablets manufactured by means of a continuous melt granulation technique utilizing a twin-screw extruder.

Continuous manufacturing of solid lipid nanoparticles by hot melt extrusion.

Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) can either be produced by hot homogenization of melted lipids at higher temperatures or by a cold homogenization process. This paper proposes and demonstrates the formulation of SLN for pharmaceutical applications by combining two processes: hot melt extrusion (HME) technology for melt-emulsification and high-pressure homogenization (HPH) for size reduction. This work aimed at developing continuous and scalable processes for SLN by mixing a lipid and aqueous phase containing an emulsifier in the extruder barrel at temperatures above the melting point of the lipid and further reducing the particle size of emulsion by HPH linked to HME in a sequence. The developed novel platform demonstrated better process control and size reduction compared to the conventional process of hot homogenization (batch process). Varying the process parameters enabled the production of SLN below 200 nm (for 60 mg/ml lipid solution at a flow rate of 100ml/min). Among the several process parameters investigated, the lipid concentration, residence time and screw design played major roles in influencing the size of the SLN. This new process demonstrates the potential use of hot melt extrusion technology for continuous and large-scale production of SLN.

Development of an Ointment Formulation Using Hot-Melt Extrusion Technology

Ointments are generally prepared either by fusion or by levigation methods. The current study proposes the use of hot-melt extrusion (HME) processing for the preparation of a polyethylene glycol base ointment. Lidocaine was used as a model drug. A modified screw design was used in this process, and parameters such as feeding rate, barrel temperature, and screw speed were optimized to obtain a uniform product. The product characteristics were compared with an ointment of similar composition prepared by conventional fusion method. The rheological properties, drug release profile, and texture characteristics of the hot-melt extruded product were similar to the conventionally prepared product. This study demonstrates a novel application of the hot-melt extrusion process in the manufacturing of topical semi-solids.

Rat Palatability Study for Taste Assessment of Caffeine Citrate Formulation Prepared via Hot-Melt Extrusion Technology.

Developing a pediatric oral formulation with an age-appropriate dosage form and taste masking of naturally bitter active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are key challenges for formulation scientists. Several techniques are used for taste masking of bitter APIs to improve formulation palatability; however, not all the techniques are applicable to pediatric dosage forms because of the limitations on the kind and concentration of the excipients that can be used. Hot-melt extrusion (HME) technology is used successfully for taste masking of bitter APIs and overcomes some of the limitations of the existing taste-masking techniques. Likewise, analytical taste assessment is an important quality control parameter evaluated by several in vivo and in vitro methods, such as the human taste panel, electrophysiological methods, electronic sensor, and animal preference tests to aid in selecting a taste-masked formulation. However, the most appropriate in vivo method to assess the taste-masking efficacy of pediatric formulations remains unknown because it is not known to what extent the human taste panel/electronic tongue can predict the palatability in the pediatric patients. The purpose of this study was to develop taste-masked caffeine citrate extrudates via HME and to demonstrate the wide applicability of a single bottle-test rat model to record and compare the volume consumed of the taste-masked solutions to that of the pure API. Thus, this rat model can be considered as a low-cost alternative taste-assessment method to the most commonly used expensive human taste panel/electronic tongue method for pediatric formulations.

Development of a fast dissolving film of epinephrine hydrochloride as a potential anaphylactic treatment for pediatrics

Abstract Objective: To develop a fast dissolving film strip containing epinephrine HCl for the potential treatment of pediatric anaphylaxis. Methods: Four different films have been prepared by solvent casting technique where the percentages of the polymer (Lycoat RS720) were optimized. The polymer percentages were (20%, 25%, 27% and 30%) of the total formulation weighs. The thickness and elastic modulus of the optimized film was evaluated using dynamic mechanical analyzer. Epinephrine content uniformity was assessed using UV at wavelength 280 nm. For the dissolution test, fast dissolving films (FDFs) were evaluated in 500 Simulated Saliva, with 50 rpm. In vivo taste and disintegration evaluation was performed on six healthy volunteers. Results: Films formed by formulations 1, 2 and 3 were too sticky after drying, while formulation 4 that has 30% polymer content formed smooth, transparent, flexible and uniform film, and therefore, it was selected for further testing. The value of elastic modulus was determined at 1.325 MPa. The thickness of the film at different locations was measured at 0.29 mm. Drug content in film was measured at 93% ±10. More than 90% of epinephrine was released from the film within 7.2 min. Bitterness of epinephrine was masked efficiently according to volunteer’s comments with average disintegration time of 20 s. Conclusion: This study presents potential proof for using FDFs as a replacement therapy of epinephrine injections for pediatrics.