3D extrusion printing of high drug loading immediate release paracetamol tablets

Publication date: 1 March 2018 Source:International Journal of Pharmaceutics, Volume 538, Issues 1–2 Author(s): Shaban A. Khaled, Morgan R. Alexander, Ricky D. Wildman, Martin J. Wallace, Sonja Sharpe, Jae Yoo, Clive J. Roberts The manufacture of immediate release high drug loading paracetamol oral tablets was achieved using an extrusion based 3D printer from a premixed water based paste formulation. The 3D printed tablets demonstrate that a very high drug (paracetamol) loading formulation (80% w/w) can be printed as an acceptable tablet using a method suitable for personalisation and distributed manufacture. Paracetamol is an example of a drug whose physical form can present challenges to traditional powder compression tableting. Printing avoids these issues and facilitates the relatively high drug loading. The 3D printed tablets were evaluated for physical and mechanical properties including weight variation, friability, breaking force, disintegration time, and dimensions and were within acceptable range as defined by the international standards stated in the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP). X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD) was used to identify the physical form of the active. Additionally, XRPD, Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to assess possible drug-excipient interactions. The 3D printed tablets were evaluated for drug release using a USP dissolution testing t...
Source: International Journal of Pharmaceutics - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research