Abuse-deterrent properties of REMOXY® ER, a high-viscosity extended-release oxycodone formulation.

OBJECTIVE: These in vitro studies compared abuse-deterrent properties of REMOXY ER (extended-release oxycodone), a novel, high-viscosity gel formulation, versus the two currently marketed ER oxycodone formulations. METHODS: Tampering methods were tailored to each product to maximize oxycodone release with the least complexity, time, and effort, based on the physical/chemical properties of each formulation. Oral abuse was simulated by extracting oxycodone from each manipulated formulation in Common Ingestible Liquids and in Advanced Solvents (not ingestible and requiring additional separation). To simulate injection abuse, oxycodone was extracted from each manipulated formulation in low volumes of injection vehicles, heated or unheated. Inhalation abuse potential was assessed by volatilization. RESULTS: In oral abuse simulations, manipulated REMOXY ER released 2-22 percent of its oxycodone in 20 minutes in five Common Ingestible Liquids, versus 77-85 percent oxycodone released from OxyContin® ER in 5 minutes in four of the five. In six Advanced Solvents, REMOXY ER released 3-37 percent at 20 minutes, versus 55-89 percent released from OxyContin ER at 5 minutes. Minimal oxycodone was extracted from REMOXY ER in five injection vehicles, heated or unheated. In contrast, OxyContin ER released 65-87 percent of its oxycodone within 10 minutes in all vehicles, regardless of heating. Xtampza® ER released 96 percent of its oxycodone in a heated injection vehicle and released 50-60 percent in two unheated injection vehicles. Showing minimal inhalation abuse potential, 9 percent of oxycodone was vaporized from manipulated REMOXY ER at 20 minutes compared to 8.8 percent at 5 minutes for OxyContin ER. CONCLUSIONS: In these studies, REMOXY ER demonstrated robust and meaningful abuse-deterrence relative to OxyContin ER and Xtampza ER. PERSPECTIVE: Abuse-deterrent drugs were intended to help fight opioid abuse. Yet, the persistence of the opioid epidemic indicates that vast improvements in abuse-deterrent technology are sorely needed. A new, high-viscosity, ER oxycodone formulation showed much improved abuse-deterrent properties in simulations of oral, injection, and inhalation abuse, compared to earlier, first-generation formulations.

Stability of polyethylene oxide in matrix tablets prepared by hot-melt extrusion.

The thermal stability of polyethylene oxide (PEO) in sustained release tablets prepared by hot-melt extrusion was investigated. The weight average molecular weight of the polymer was studied using gel permeation chromatography. The chemical stability of PEO was found to be dependent on both the storage and processing temperature, and the molecular weight of the polymer. Storage of the polymer above its melting point significantly increased polymer degradation, and the degradation process was accelerated as the molecular weight was reduced. The thermal stability of PEO MW = 1,000,000 (PEO 1 M) in sustained release chlropheniramine maleate (CPM) tablets prepared by hot-melt extrusion was found to depend on the processing temperature and screw speed. Lower molecular weight PEO MW = 100,000 (PEO 100 K) was demonstrated to be a suitable processing aid for PEO 1 M. Incorporation of PEO 100 K reduced degradation of PEO 1 M and did not alter the release rate of CPM. Vitamin E, Vitamin E Succinate and Vitamin E TPGS were found to be suitable stabilizers for PEO, however, ascorbic acid was shown to degrade the polymer in solution. Thermal analysis demonstrated that Vitamin E Succinate and Vitamin E TPGS were dispersed at the molecular level in hot-melt extruded tablets. Solubilized Vitamin E Succinate and Vitamin E TPGS suppressed the melting point of the polyethylene oxide. Drug release rates from hot-melt extruded tablets stabilized with antioxidants were found to be dependent on the hydrophilic nature of the antioxidant.

The influence of guaifenesin and ketoprofen on the properties of hot-melt extruded polyethylene oxide films.

Films containing polyethylene oxide (PEO) and a model drug, either guaifenesin (GFN) or ketoprofen (KTP), were prepared by hot-melt extrusion. The thermal properties of the hot-melt extruded films were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine the surface morphology of the films, and wide angle X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to investigate the crystalline properties of the polymer, drugs and physical mixtures as well as the solid state structure of the films. The stability of the polymer was studied using gel permeation chromatography. The mechanical properties, including percent elongation and tensile strength of the films, were determined on an Instron according to American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) procedures. The Hansen solubility parameter was calculated using the Hoftyzer or van Krevelen method to estimate the likelihood of drug--polymer miscibility. Both GFN and KTP were stable during the extrusion process. Melting points corresponding to the crystalline drugs were not observed in the films. Crystallization of GFN on the surface of the film was observed at all concentrations studied, however KTP crystallization did not occur until reaching the 15% level. Guaifenesin and ketoprofen were found to decrease drive load, increase PEO stability and plasticize the polymer during extrusion. The Hansen solubility parameters predicted miscibility between PEO and KTP and poor miscibility between PEO and GFN. The predictions of the solubility parameters were in agreement with the XRD and SEM results. The percent elongation decreased with increasing GFN concentrations and significantly increased with increasing levels of KTP. Both GFN and KTP decreased the tensile strength of the extruded film.

Physicochemical properties and mechanism of drug release from ethyl cellulose matrix tablets prepared by direct compression and hot-melt extrusion.

The objective of this research project was to determine the physicochemical properties and investigate the drug release mechanism from ethyl cellulose (EC) matrix tablets prepared by either direct compression or hot-melt extrusion (HME) of binary mixtures of water soluble drug (guaifenesin) and the polymer. Ethyl cellulose was separated into "fine" or "coarse" particle size fractions corresponding to 325-80 and 80-30 mesh particles, respectively. Tablets containing 30% guaifenesin were prepared at 10, 30, or 50 kN compaction forces and extruded at processing temperatures of 80-90 and 90-110 degrees C. The drug dissolution and release kinetics were determined and the tablet pore characteristics, tortuosity, thermal properties and surface morphologies were studied using helium pycnometry, mercury porosimetry, differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy. The tortuosity was measured directly by a novel technique that allows for the calculation of diffusion coefficients in three experiments. The Higuchi diffusion model, Percolation Theory and Polymer Free Volume Theory were applied to the dissolution data to explain the release properties of drug from the matrix systems. The release rate was shown to be dependent on the ethyl cellulose particle size, compaction force and extrusion temperature.

Pharmaceutical applications of hot-melt extrusion: Part II.

The advent of high through-put screening in the drug discovery process has resulted in compounds with high lipophilicity and poor solubility. Increasing the solubility of such compounds poses a major challenge to formulation scientists. Various approaches have been adopted to address this including preparation of solid dispersions and solid solutions. Hot-melt extrusion is an efficient technology for producing solid molecular dispersions with considerable advantages over solvent-based processes such as spray drying and co-precipitation. Hot-melt extrusion has been demonstrated to provide sustained, modified, and targeted drug delivery. Improvements in bioavailability utilizing the hot-melt extrusion technique demonstrate the value of the technology as a potential drug delivery processing tool. The interest in hot-melt extrusion technology for pharmaceutical applications is evident from the increasing number of patents and publications in the scientific literature. Part II of this article reviews the myriad of hot-melt extrusion applications for pharmaceutical dosage forms including granules, pellets, tablets, implants, transmucosal, and transdermal systems.

Pharmaceutical applications of hot-melt extrusion: part I.

Interest in hot-melt extrusion techniques for pharmaceutical applications is growing rapidly with well over 100 papers published in the pharmaceutical scientific literature in the last 12 years. Hot-melt extrusion (HME) has been a widely applied technique in the plastics industry and has been demonstrated recently to be a viable method to prepare several types of dosage forms and drug delivery systems. Hot-melt extruded dosage forms are complex mixtures of active medicaments, functional excipients, and processing aids. HME also offers several advantages over traditional pharmaceutical processing techniques including the absence of solvents, few processing steps, continuous operation, and the possibility of the formation of solid dispersions and improved bioavailability. This article, Part I, reviews the pharmaceutical applications of hot-melt extrusion, including equipment, principles of operation, and process technology. The raw materials processed using this technique are also detailed and the physicochemical properties of the resultant dosage forms are described. Part II of this review will focus on various applications of HME in drug delivery such as granules, pellets, immediate and modified release tablets, transmucosal and transdermal systems, and implants.

The use of near-infrared spectroscopy for the quantitation of a drug in hot-melt extruded films.

The objective of the study was to demonstrate the utility of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for quantitative analysis of a model drug in hot-melt extruded film formulations. Polyethylene oxide (PEO) films with clotrimazole (CT) as a model drug were prepared by hot-melt extrusion (HME) incorporating drug concentrations ranging from 0-20% and analyzed using a Fourier transform near-infrared (FT-NIR) spectrophotometer in the reflectance mode, High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was the reference method used for this study. The NIR calibration model derived for CT was composed of 21 frequency ranges that were correlated to the values quantified using the HPLC reference method. The NIR method developed resulted in an assayed CT amount in the film matrix to be within 3.5% of the quantity determined by the reference method. These studies clearly demonstrate that NIRS is a powerful method for the quantitation of active drug substances contained in films produced by HME and warrants further investigation.