Luca Palugan

Film coatings for oral pulsatile release.

Pulsatile delivery is generally intended as a release of the active ingredient that is delayed for a programmable period of time to meet particular chronotherapeutic needs and, in the case of oral administration, also target distal intestinal regions, such as the colon. Most oral pulsatile delivery platforms consist in coated formulations wherein the applied polymer serves as the release-controlling agent. When exposed to aqueous media, the coating initially performs as a protective barrier and, subsequently, undergoes a timely failure based on diverse mechanisms depending on its physico-chemical and formulation characteristics. Indeed, it may be ruptured because of the gradual expansion of the core, swell and/or erode due to the glassy-rubbery polymer transition or become permeable thus allowing the drug molecules to diffuse outwards. Otherwise, when the coating is a semipermeable membrane provided with one or more orifices, the drug is released through the latter as a result of an osmotic water influx. The vast majority of pulsatile delivery systems described so far have been prepared by spray-coating, which offers important versatility and feasibility advantages over other techniques such as press- and dip-coating. In the present article, the design, manufacturing and performance of spray-coated pulsatile delivery platforms is thus reviewed.

Oral delivery system for two‐pulse colonic release of protein drugs and protease inhibitor/absorption enhancer compounds

It is well known that the intestinal stability and absorption of protein drugs are improved when enzyme inhibitors/permeation enhancers are coadministered. Recently, it was hypothesized that an increased effectiveness of these adjuvants might be achieved by timing their release prior to that of the protein, so that a more favorable environment would be established in advance. Therefore, an oral system was proposed for two-pulse colonic release of insulin and the protease inhibitor camostat mesilate/absorption enhancer sodium glycocholate. The device consisted of a drug-containing core, an inner swellable/erodible low-viscosity hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) coating, an intermediate adjuvant layer, and an additional outer HPMC coating. HPMC coats and camostat mesilate/sodium glycocholate films with differing thicknesses were applied to immediate-release tablet cores by aqueous spray coating. The obtained units were characterized for weight, thickness, breaking force, and release performance. All systems showed satisfactory technological properties and the pursued pulsatile delivery behavior, with programmable delay phases preceding inhibitor/enhancer release and elapsing between inhibitor/enhancer and protein release, respectively. Indeed, both lag times linearly correlated with the relevant HPMC coating level. The system was thus proven suitable for yielding two-pulse release profiles, in which lag phases could be modulated to provide convenient concentration patterns for proteins and adjuvants.

Dry Coating of Soft Gelatin Capsules with HPMCAS

Dry coating is an innovative powder-layering technique that enables the formation of coatings on solid dosage forms with no need for using water or organic solvents. This technique envisages the distribution of polymer powder blends onto substrate cores and the concurrent or alternate nebulization of liquid plasticizers. In this work, a dry coating process based on hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate (HPMCAS) was set up in a rotary fluid bed equipment to prepare enteric-coated soft gelatin capsules. Promising results were obtained in terms of process feasibility and product characteristics, thus suggesting the possibility of advantageous applications for the investigated technique when dealing with gelatin capsule substrates.

Gastroresistant capsular device prepared by injection molding.

In the present work, the possibility of manufacturing by injection molding (IM) a gastro-resistant capsular device based on hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose acetate succinate (HPMCAS) was investigated. By performing as an enteric soluble container, such a device may provide a basis for the development of advantageous alternatives to coated dosage forms. Preliminarily, the processability of the selected thermoplastic polymer was evaluated, and the need for a plasticizer (polyethylene glycol 1500) in order to counterbalance the glassy nature of the molded items was assessed. However, some critical issues related to the physical/mechanical stability (shrinkage and warpage) and opening time of the device after the pH change were highlighted. Accordingly, an in-depth formulation study was carried out taking into account differing release modifiers potentially useful for enhancing the dissolution/disintegration rate of the capsular device at intestinal pH values. Capsule prototypes with thickness of 600 and 900 μm containing Kollicoat(®) IR and/or Explotab(®) CLV could be manufactured, and a promising performance was achieved with appropriate gastric resistance in pH 1.2 medium and break-up in pH 6.8 within 1h. These results would support the design of a dedicated mold for the development of a scalable manufacturing process.

Oral delivery of insulin via polyethylene imine-based nanoparticles for colonic release allows glycemic control in diabetic rats.

In this study, insulin-containing nanoparticles were loaded into pellet cores and orally administered to diabetic rats. Polyethylene imine-based nanoparticles, either placebo or loaded with insulin, were incorporated by extrusion and spheronization technology into cores that were subsequently coated with three overlapping layers and a gastroresistant film. The starting and coated systems were evaluated in vitro for their physico-technololgical characteristics, as well as disintegration and release performance. Nanoparticles-loaded cores showed homogeneous particle size distribution and shape. When a superdisintegrant and a soluble diluent were included in the composition enhanced disintegration and release performance were observed. The selected formulations, coated either with enteric or three-layer films, showed gastroresistant and release delayed behavior in vitro, respectively. The most promising formulations were finally tested for their hypoglycemic effect in diabetic rats. Only the nanoformulations loaded into the three-layer pellets were able to induce a significant hypoglycemic activity in diabetic rats. Our results suggest that this efficient activity could be attributed to a retarded release of insulin into the distal intestine, characterized by relatively low proteolytic activity and optimal absorption.

Cream formulation impact on topical administration of engineered colloidal nanoparticles.

In order to minimize the impact of systemic toxicity of drugs in the treatment of local acute and chronic inflammatory reactions, the achievement of reliable and efficient delivery of therapeutics in/through the skin is highly recommended. While the use of nanoparticles is now an established practice for drug intravenous targeted delivery, their transdermal penetration is still poorly understood and this important administration route remains almost unexplored. In the present study, we have synthesized magnetic (iron oxide) nanoparticles (MNP) coated with an amphiphilic polymer, developed a water-in-oil emulsion formulation for their topical administration and compared the skin penetration routes with the same nanoparticles deposited as a colloidal suspension. Transmission and scanning electron microscopies provided ultrastructural evidence that the amphiphilic nanoparticles (PMNP) cream formulation allowed the efficient penetration through all the skin layers with a controllable kinetics compared to suspension formulation. In addition to the preferential follicular pathway, also the intracellular and intercellular routes were involved. PMNP that crossed all skin layers were quantified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The obtained data suggests that combining PMNP amphiphilic character with cream formulation improves the intradermal penetration of nanoparticles. While PMNP administration in living mice via aqueous suspension resulted in preferential nanoparticle capture by phagocytes and migration to draining lymph nodes, cream formulation favored uptake by all the analyzed dermis cell types, including hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic. Unlike aqueous suspension, cream formulation also favored the maintenance of nanoparticles in the dermal architecture avoiding their dispersion and migration to draining lymph nodes via afferent lymphatics.

Erodible Time‐Dependent Colon Delivery Systems with Improved Efficiency in Delaying the Onset of Drug Release

To prepare swellable/erodible time-dependent colon delivery systems with improved efficiency in delaying drug release, the application of an outer Eudragit® NE film, which contained the superdisintegrant Explotab® V17 as a pore former, was attempted. Tablet cores were successively spray-coated with a hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) solution and diluted Eudragit® NE 30 D, wherein fixed amounts of Explotab® V17 were present. The resulting two-layer systems yielded lag phases of extended duration as compared with formulations provided with the HPMC layer only. By raising the thickness of the outer film, longer lag times were generally observed, whereas the effectiveness in deferring the drug liberation was reduced by increasing the pore former content, which, however, also resulted in a lower data variability. The films containing 20% of Explotab® V17 effectively and consistently prolonged the in vitro lag phase imparted by HPMC as a function of their thickness. Stored for 3 years under ambient conditions, a two-layer system with this outer film composition pointed out unmodified release patterns. The same system proved to meet gastroresistance criteria when enteric coated. The results obtained indicated that the proposed strategy would enable the preparation of erodible delivery systems with reduced size, possibly suitable as multiple-unit dosage forms.

The Use of ß-Cyclodextrin in the Manufacturing of Disintegrating Pellets with Improved Dissolution Performances

It has recently been highlighted that the release behavior of pellets containing microcystalline cellulose (MCC) as the spheronizing agent may be impaired by the lack of disintegration. Although alternative spheronizing excipients have been proposed, their overall advantages have not thoroughly been assessed. In the present work, the possible use of β-cyclodextrin (βCD) was therefore explored for the manufacturing of pellets with a potential for effective disintegration and immediate release of poorly soluble active ingredients. MCC/βCD powder formulations containing no drug or model drugs with different water solubility, able to form inclusion compounds with the employed cyclodextrin, were pelletized by agglomeration in rotary fluid bed equipment. By applying successive statistical experimental designs, the most critical formulation and operating parameters were identified and optimal manufacturing processes were ultimately set up. High yields of pellets provided with satisfactory physical-technological characteristics were obtained using powder formulations with up to 80% βCD. Based on dissolution testing results, the suitability of βCD for the preparation of disintegrating MCC-containing pellets with improved dissolution performance was finally demonstrated.

Preparation of multiparticulate systems for oral delivery of a micronized or nanosized poorly soluble drug.

Abstract The purpose of the present work was to prepare multiparticulate drug delivery systems for oral administration of a poorly soluble drug such as itraconazole. Multiparticulate systems were prepared by extrusion/spheronization technique using a mix of crospovidone, low viscosity hypromellose, microcrystalline cellulose, micronized drug and water. In order to improve the release performance of the multiparticulate systems, the micronized drug was suspended in water with polysorbate 20 and nanonized by a high-pressure homogenization. The suspension of drug nanoparticles was then spray-dried for enabling an easy handling of the drug and for preventing the over-wetting of the powders during extrusion/spheronization processing. Both multiparticulate units prepared with micronized or nanonized drug showed acceptable disintegrating properties. The nanosizing of micronized drug powder provided a significant improvement of drug dissolution rates of the multiparticulates.

Pelletization of a β -cyclodextrin-acetaminophen interaction compound in a rotary fluid bed granulator : an optimization study

Drug/cyclodextrin (CD) interaction compounds are widely used in the design of solid dosage forms for their ability to improve drug bioavailability, especially where poorly soluble active ingredients are concerned. Because of high CD molecular weights and fixed drug/CD interaction ratios (generally ≤ 1 mol/mol), major issues may have to be faced when formulating high-dose drug products. In the present work, high-density pellets prepared by rotary processing in fluid bed equipment are proposed for the oral administration of drug/CD interaction compounds. The manufacturing process of pellets containing approximately 75% of an acetaminophen/ s -CD kneaded product was developed based on a sequential statistical optimization study. In particular, the effect of the quantity of water, air-flow rate and plate rotational speed on the process yield and physical-technological characteristics of pellets was studied. The optimization study performed was helpful in providing an overall understanding of the process and a predictive model for its further development.