Stability of a novel corticosteroid nasal irrigation solution: betamethasone 17-valerate added to extemporaneously prepared nasal irrigation solutions.

BACKGROUND: There are no commercially available nasal irrigation solutions containing corticosteroids. Instead, such preparations are extemporaneously prepared by adding existing corticosteroid formulations to nasal irrigation solutions. The stability of the corticosteroid betamethasone 17-valerate (B17V), in nasal irrigation solutions of different compositions and pH and stored under different temperatures, was studied to determine the optimal choice of solution and storage conditions. METHODS: Triplicate extemporaneous preparations made with B17V were prepared by adding a predetermined volume of B17V lotion to each nasal irrigation solution: normal saline (NS), sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3 ) powder dissolved in tap water, and a commercially available powder mixture (FLO Sinus Care Powder), dissolved in tap water or pre-boiled tap water. Preparations were stored at 30°C and 4°C. Sampling was carried out at 0, 1, 2, 6, and 24 hours. The concentrations of B17V and its degradation compound, betamethasone 21-valerate (B21V), were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: Preparations stored at 30°C contained a lower amount of B17V and higher amount of B21V than those stored at 4°C. B17V stability in nasal irrigation solutions decreased in the following order: NS, FLO in fresh tap water, FLO in pre-boiled tap water, and NaHCO3 . The degradation rate of B17V increased with higher storage temperature and higher pH. CONCLUSION: B17V is most stable when added to NS and least stable in NaHCO3 solution. FLO solution prepared with either cooled boiled water or tap water is an alternative if administered immediately. Storage at 4°C can better preserve stability of B17V, over a period of 24 hours.

Encapsulation of volatiles by homogenized partially-cross linked alginates.

Cross-linked calcium alginate gels are too viscous to be efficaciously incorporated into spray dried formulations. Thus, viscosity reduction is essential to ensure the processability of calcium alginate gels to be sprayed. Viscosity reduction by high pressure homogenization can open new formulation possibilities. Presently, testing of microcapsule integrity is also limited because either single particle tests neglect collective particle behaviours in bulk or bulk testing methods are often associated with single compressions which may not fully characterize individual particle strengths. The aim of this study was sub-divided into three objectives. First objective was to evaluate the impact of high pressure homogenization on gel viscosity. Second objective was to explore the use of the homogenized gels with modified starch for microencapsulation by spray drying. The final objective was to develop a stamping system as microcapsule strength tester that can assess microcapsules in bulk and evaluate the impact of multiple compressions. Collectively, this study would lead towards developing a pressure-activated patch of microcapsules with encapsulated volatiles and the method to assess the patch efficacy. The alginate gels largely experienced an exponential decay in viscosity when homogenized. Furthermore, the homogenized gels were successfully incorporated in spray drying formulations for microencapsulation. The custom-designed microcapsule strength tester was successfully used and shown to possess the required sensitivity to discern batches of microcapsules containing volatiles to have different release profiles. Addition of homogenized gels strengthened the microcapsules only at high wall to core ratios with low mass-load alginate gels. High mass-load gels weaken the microcapsules, exhibiting a higher release at low stamping pressures and wrinkling on the microcapsules surface.

Influence of rate of force application during compression on tablet capping.

Root cause and possible processing remediation of tablet capping were investigated using a specially designed tablet press with an air compensator installed above the precompression roll to limit compression force and allow extended dwell time in the precompression event. Using acetaminophen-starch (77.9:22.1) as a model formulation, tablets were prepared by various combinations of precompression and main compression forces, set precompression thickness, and turret speed. The rate of force application (RFA) was the main factor contributing to the tablet mechanical strength and capping. When target force above the force required for strong interparticulate bond formation, the resultant high RFA contributed to more pronounced air entrapment, uneven force distribution, and consequently, stratified densification in compact together with high viscoelastic recovery. These factors collectively had contributed to the tablet capping. As extended dwell time assisted particle rearrangement and air escape, a denser and more homogenous packing in the die could be achieved. This occurred during the extended dwell time when a low precompression force was applied, followed by application of main compression force for strong interparticulate bond formation that was the most beneficial option to solve capping problem.

Influence of disintegrants in different substrate physical form on dimensional recovery of multi-component tablet.

This study investigated the influence of different disintegrants, present in different substrate physical forms, on dimensional recovery of multi-component tablets prepared at different compression pressures. Formulations containing model drug, metformin, (10%, w/w), different disintegrants (10%, w/w), and lactose (80%, w/w) were compressed directly or after granulation using polyvinyl pyrrolidone (1%, w/w) as binder, into tablets (350 mg, 10mm diameter) at 150, 200, and 250 N/mm(2) compression pressures. Tablets were characterized for immediate dimensional recovery (IR) after ejection from the die, latent dimensional recovery (LR) over 24 h, tensile strength, and disintegration. The IR was predominantly contributed by crystalline components whereas LR was brought about by polymeric materials. With increased compression pressure, higher degree of plastic deformation of the polymeric disintegrants resulted in tablet with lower LR and higher tensile strength. Presence of polyvinyl pyrrolidone in the granules contributed considerably to plastic deformation, and the tablets produced had lower LR, higher tensile strength, and longer disintegration time. This study indicated that use of granules as the feed substrate physical form and a prudent selection of components may enable the coating of resultant tablets immediately after compression without the risk of coat damage due to LR.

Continuous processing and the applications of online tools in pharmaceutical product manufacture: developments and examples.

Continuous processing and production in pharmaceutical manufacturing has received increased attention in recent years mainly due to the industries' pressing needs for more efficient, cost-effective processes and production, as well as regulatory facilitation. To achieve optimum product quality, the traditional trial-and-error method for the optimization of different process and formulation parameters is expensive and time consuming. Real-time evaluation and the control of product quality using an online process analyzer in continuous processing can provide high-quality production with very high-throughput at low unit cost. This review focuses on continuous processing and the application of different real-time monitoring tools used in the pharmaceutical industry for continuous processing from powder to tablets.