Utilizing Laser Activation of Photothermal Plasmonic Nanoparticles to Induce On-Demand Drug Amorphization inside a Tablet.

Poor aqueous drug solubility represents a major challenge in oral drug delivery. A novel approach to overcome this challenge is drug amorphization inside a tablet, that is, on-demand drug amorphization. The amorphous form is a thermodynamically instable, disordered solid-state with increased dissolution rate and solubility compared to its crystalline counterpart. During on-demand drug amorphization, the drug molecularly disperses into a polymer to form an amorphous solid at elevated temperatures inside a tablet. This study investigates, for the first time, the utilization of photothermal plasmonic nanoparticles for on-demand drug amorphization as a new pharmaceutical application. For this, near-IR photothermal plasmonic nanoparticles were tableted together with a crystalline drug (celecoxib) and a polymer (polyvinylpyrrolidone). The tablets were subjected to a near-IR laser at different intensities and durations to study the rate of drug amorphization under each condition. During laser irradiation, the plasmonic nanoparticles homogeneously heated the tablet. The temperature was directly related to the rate and degree of amorphization. Exposure times as low as 180 s at 1.12 W cm-2 laser intensity with only 0.25 wt % plasmonic nanoparticles and up to 50 wt % drug load resulted in complete drug amorphization. Therefore, near-IR photothermal plasmonic nanoparticles are promising excipients for on-demand drug amorphization with laser irradiation.

The Effect of the Molecular Weight of Polyvinylpyrrolidone and the Model Drug on Laser-Induced In Situ Amorphization.

Laser radiation has been shown to be a promising approach for in situ amorphization, i.e., drug amorphization inside the final dosage form. Upon exposure to laser radiation, elevated temperatures in the compacts are obtained. At temperatures above the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the polymer, the drug dissolves into the mobile polymer. Hence, the dissolution kinetics are dependent on the viscosity of the polymer, indirectly determined by the molecular weight (Mw) of the polymer, the solubility of the drug in the polymer, the particle size of the drug and the molecular size of the drug. Using compacts containing 30 wt% of the drug celecoxib (CCX), 69.25 wt% of three different Mw of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP: PVP12, PVP17 or PVP25), 0.25 wt% plasmonic nanoaggregates (PNs) and 0.5 wt% lubricant, the effect of the polymer Mw on the dissolution kinetics upon exposure to laser radiation was investigated. Furthermore, the effect of the model drug on the dissolution kinetics was investigated using compacts containing 30 wt% of three different drugs (CCX, indomethacin (IND) and naproxen (NAP)), 69.25 wt% PVP12, 0.25 wt% PN and 0.5 wt% lubricant. In perfect correlation to the Noyes-Whitney equation, this study showed that the use of PVP with the lowest viscosity, i.e., the lowest Mw (here PVP12), led to the fastest rate of amorphization compared to PVP17 and PVP25. Furthermore, NAP showed the fastest rate of amorphization, followed by IND and CCX in PVP12 due to its high solubility and small molecular size.

Comparative Study of Different Methods for the Prediction of Drug-Polymer Solubility.

In this study, a comparison of different methods to predict drug-polymer solubility was carried out on binary systems consisting of five model drugs (paracetamol, chloramphenicol, celecoxib, indomethacin, and felodipine) and polyvinylpyrrolidone/vinyl acetate copolymers (PVP/VA) of different monomer weight ratios. The drug-polymer solubility at 25 °C was predicted using the Flory-Huggins model, from data obtained at elevated temperature using thermal analysis methods based on the recrystallization of a supersaturated amorphous solid dispersion and two variations of the melting point depression method. These predictions were compared with the solubility in the low molecular weight liquid analogues of the PVP/VA copolymer (N-vinylpyrrolidone and vinyl acetate). The predicted solubilities at 25 °C varied considerably depending on the method used. However, the three thermal analysis methods ranked the predicted solubilities in the same order, except for the felodipine-PVP system. Furthermore, the magnitude of the predicted solubilities from the recrystallization method and melting point depression method correlated well with the estimates based on the solubility in the liquid analogues, which suggests that this method can be used as an initial screening tool if a liquid analogue is available. The learnings of this important comparative study provided general guidance for the selection of the most suitable method(s) for the screening of drug-polymer solubility.

Supersaturated amorphous solid dispersions of celecoxib prepared in situ by microwave irradiation.

This study investigated the ability of in situ amorphisation using microwave irradiation in order to prepare highly supersaturated ASDs, i.e. ASDs with drug loads higher than the saturation solubility in the polymer at ambient temperature. For this purpose, compacts containing the crystalline drug celecoxib (CCX) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polyvinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer (PVP/VA), or polyvinyl acetate (PVAc), were prepared at drug loads between 30 and 90 % w/w. Sodium dihydrogen phosphate (NaH2PO4) monohydrate was included in all compacts, as a source of water, to facilitate the dielectric heating of the compacts upon dehydration during microwave irradiation. After processing, the samples were analysed towards their solid state using X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and modulated differential scanning calorimetry (mDSC). Complete amorphisation of CCX was achieved across all the investigated polymers and with a maximal drug load of 90, 80, and 50 % w/w in PVP, PVP/VA, and PVAc, respectively. These drug loads corresponded to a 2.3-, 2.4-, and 10.0-fold supersaturation in the investigated polymers at ambient temperature. However, dissolution experiments with the in situ prepared ASDs in fasted state simulated intestinal fluid (FaSSIF), showed a lower initial drug release (0-2 h) compared to equivalent physical mixtures of crystalline CCX and polymers or crystalline CCX alone. The lower drug release rate was explained by the fusion of individual drug and polymer particles during microwave irradiation and, subsequently, a lack of disintegration of the monolithic ASDs. Nevertheless, supersaturation of CCX in FaSSIF was achieved with the in situ amorphised ASDs with PVP and PVP/VA, albeit only after 3-24 h. Overall, the present study confirmed that it is feasible to prepare supersaturated ASDs in situ. However, in the current experimental setup, the monolithic nature of the resulting ASDs is considered a limiting factor in the practical applicability of this preparation method, due to limited disintegration and the associated negative effect on the drug release.

A new method to determine drug-polymer solubility through enthalpy of melting and mixing.

In this study, a new method to determine the solubility of crystalline drugs in (amorphous) polymers is proposed. The method utilizes annealing of supersaturated amorphous solid dispersions to achieve equilibrium between dissolved and recrystallized drug. By measuring the enthalpy of melting and mixing (Hm+mix) of the recrystallized drug, the equilibrium solubility of the drug in the polymer at the annealing temperature is determined. The equilibrium solubilities at these elevated temperatures were used to extrapolate to room temperature using the Flory-Huggins model. The new Hm+mix method showed solubility predictions in line with the melting point depression (MPD) and recrystallization (RC) methods for indomethacin (IMC) -polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). For IMC-hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), the MPD method plateaued rapidly, leaving only one usable data point. The RC method showed large variations in the solubility predictions possibly due to a narrow glass transition temperature (Tg) window or inaccurate Tg determination. In contrast, the new Hm+mix method showed robust solubility prediction over the entire annealing temperature range with low variation and narrow error margins after extrapolation for both drug-polymer systems. The new Hm+mix method was able to accurately determine the drug-polymer solubility of IMC-HPMC, showing promise as a new tool to determine the solubility of problematic drug-polymer systems.

Development of a multiparticulate drug delivery system for in situ amorphisation.

In the current study, the concept of multiparticulate drug delivery systems (MDDS) was applied to tablets intended for the amorphisation of supersaturated granular ASDs in situ, i.e. amorphisation within the final dosage form by microwave irradiation. The MDDS concept was hypothesised to ensure geometric and structural stability of the dosage form and to improve the in vitro disintegration and dissolution characteristics. Granules were prepared in two sizes (small and large) containing the crystalline drug celecoxib (CCX) and polyvinylpyrrolidone/vinyl acetate copolymer (PVP/VA) at a 50 % w/w drug load as well as sodium dihydrogen phosphate monohydrate as the microwave absorbing excipient. The granules were subsequently embedded in an extra-granular tablet phase composed of either the filler microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) or mannitol (MAN), as well as the disintegrant crospovidone and the lubricant magnesium stearate. The tensile strength and disintegration time were investigated prior to and after 10 min of microwave irradiation (800 and 1000 W) and the formed ASDs were characterised by X-ray powder diffraction and modulated differential scanning calorimetry. Additionally, the internal structure was elucidated by X-ray micro-Computed Tomography (XµCT) and, finally, the dissolution performance of selected tablets was investigated. The MDDS tablets displayed no geometrical changes after microwave irradiation, however, the tensile strength and disintegration time generally increased. Complete amorphisation of CCX was achieved only for the MCC-based tablets at a power input of 1000 W, while MAN-based tablets displayed partial amorphisation independent of power input. The complete amorphisation of CCX was associated with the fusion of individual ASD granules within the tablets, which negatively impacted the subsequent disintegration and dissolution performance. For these tablets, supersaturation was only observed after 60 min. On the other hand, the partially amorphised MDDS tablets displayed complete disintegration during the dissolution experiments, resulting in a fast onset of supersaturation within 5 min and an approx. 3.5-fold degree of supersaturation within the experimental timeframe (3 h). Overall, the MDDS concept was shown to potentially be a feasible dosage form for in situ amorphisation, however, there is still room for improvement to obtain a both fully amorphous and disintegrating system.

Microwave induced in situ amorphisation facilitated by crystalline hydrates.

Amorphisation within the final dosage form, i.e. in situ amorphisation, seeks to circumvent the potential stability issues associated with poorly soluble drugs in amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs). Microwave irradiation has previously been shown to enable in situ preparation of ASDs, when a high amount of microwave absorbing water was introduced into the final dosage form by conditioning at high relative humidity. In this study, an alternative to this conditioning step was investigated by introducing crystal water in form of sodium dihydrogen phosphate (NaH2PO4) di-, and monohydrate, in compacts prepared with 30 % w/w celecoxib (CCX) in polyvinylpyrrolidone K12 (PVP). As controls, compacts prepared with NaH2PO4 anhydrate and without NaH2PO4 were included in the study. The quantification of amorphous CCX after microwave irradiation showed an increase in CCX amorphicity for compacts containing NaH2PO4 di-, and monohydrate with increasing irradiation time. Complete amorphisation of CCX in compacts containing NaH2PO4 di-, and monohydrate was observed after 6 min, while no appreciable amorphisation was observed for the control compacts containing NaH2PO4 anhydrate and without NaH2PO4. Modulated differential scanning calorimetric analysis revealed that a homogenous ASD was formed after 12 min and 6 min for compacts containing NaH2PO4 di-, and monohydrate, respectively. Thermal gravimetric analysis indicated that NaH2PO4 monohydrate showed higher dehydration rates compared to the dihydrate, which in turn resulted in higher compact temperatures, and overall increased the rate of amorphisation and reduced the microwave irradiation time necessary to achieve a homogenous ASD. The present results confirmed the suitability of NaH2PO4 di- and monohydrate as alternative sources of water, the primary microwave absorbing material, for in situ microwave amorphisation. The use of crystalline hydrates as water reservoirs for in situ amorphisation circumvents the time-consuming and highly impractical conditioning step previously reported in order to achieve complete amorphisation. Additionally, it allows for easier and more accurate adjustment of the compacts water content, which directly affects the temperature reached during microwave irradiation, and thus, the rate of amorphisation.

Investigation into the role of the polymer in enhancing microwave-induced in situ amorphization.

Microwave-induced in situ amorphization is an emerging technology to tackle the persistent stability issue of amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) during manufacture and storage. The aim of this study was to introduce new effective polymeric carriers with diverse properties to microwave-induced in situ amorphization and to better understand their functions in relation to the final dissolution performance of microwaved tablets. Tablets composed of indomethacin (IND) and different polymers were compacted, stored at 75% relative humidity for at least 1 week and microwaved at 1000 W to induce amorphization. A series of polymers, polyvinylpyrrolidone/vinyl acetate copolymers (PVP/VA) of different monomer weight ratios displaying varyingproperties in functional groupratio, hygroscopicity, molecular weight (Mw), and glass transition temperature (Tg) of the polymer were used as model carriers. The results suggested that more than 90% of IND was amorphized after 20 mins microwaving in all 20% (w/w) drug loaded tablets except for IND:PVAc tablets presenting approx. 36% residual crystallinity. Among them, tablets composed of PVP/VA I-335 and PVP K30 achieved complete in situ amorphization upon microwaving. Further analysis indicated that the influencing factors, polymer Mw and Tg of moisture-plasticized polymer, played a major role in microwave-induced in situ amorphization. In in vitro dissolution study, ASDs containing PVP/VA I-535 with moderate hydrophilicity and 0.96 ± 1.92% IND residual crystallinity showed the most rapid and complete drug release among all formulations, presenting the most promising dissolution performance. Further study on the chemical stability of such formulation showed a statistically insignificant decrease of drug content after pre-conditioning and microwaving (P = 0.288 > 0.05).

Effect of amorphous phase separation and crystallization on the in vitro and in vivo performance of an amorphous solid dispersion.

In this study, the performance of phase separated and crystallized amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) was evaluated by non-sink in vitro dissolution testing in fasted-state simulated intestinal fluid (FaSSIF) and in vivo in rats. The amorphous phase-separated or crystallized ASDs were prepared by mixing an ASD of the model drug celecoxib (CCX) in polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) with pure amorphous or micronized crystalline CCX at 20, 40, 60 or 100% of the total drug load (25:75 w/w CCX:PVP), respectively. As expected, crystallization of CCX in the ASDs generally had a negative influence on both the area under the curve of the dissolution curve (in vitro AUC) and the plasma concentration-time profile (in vivo AUC) in rats compared to the pure ASD. However, the difference between the in vivo AUC of the pure ASD and the 20% and 40% crystallized ASDs was not statistically significant, which could indicate that a low fraction of crystallization of a drug in an ASD may only have limited impact on in vivo performance and hence bioavailability. In comparison, amorphous phase separation of CCX in the ASDs did not negatively influence the in vitro AUC and in vivo AUC to the same degree as crystallization and the dissolution profiles of all the amorphous phase-separated ASDs were similar to that of the pure ASD. In fact, even though a slight decrease of in vivo AUC with increasing fraction of amorphous phase separation was observed, the 20% and 40% amorphous phase-separated ASDs were bioequivalent with the pure ASD.

Quantification of microwave-induced amorphization of celecoxib in PVP tablets using transmission Raman spectroscopy.

In this study, the influence of drug load on the microwave-induced amorphization of celecoxib (CCX) in polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) tablets was investigated using quantitative transmission Raman spectroscopy. A design of experiments (DoE) setup was applied for developing the quantitative model using two factors: drug load (10, 30, and 50% w/w) and amorphous fraction (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100%). The data was modeled using partial least-squares (PLS) regression and resulted in a robust model with a root mean-square error of prediction of 2.5%. The PLS model was used to study the amorphization kinetics of CCX-PVP tablets with different drug content (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50% w/w). For this purpose, transition Raman spectra were collected in 60 s intervals over a total microwave time of 10 min with an energy input of 1000 W. Using the quantitative model it was possible to measure the amorphous fraction of the tablets and follow the amorphization as a function of microwaving time. The relative amorphous fraction of CCX increased with increasing microwaving time and decreasing drug load, hence 90 ±â€¯7% of the drug was amorphized in the tablets with 10% drug load whereas only 31 ±â€¯7% of the drug was amorphized in the 50% CCX tablets. It is suggested that the degree of amorphization depends on drug loading. The likelihood of drug particles being in direct contact with the polymer PVP is a requirement for the dissolution of the drug into the polymer upon microwaving, and this is reduced with increasing drug load. This was further supported by polarized light microscopy that revealed evidence of crystalline particles and clusters in all the microwaved tablets.

Comparison of two DSC-based methods to predict drug-polymer solubility.

The aim of the present study was to compare two DSC-based methods to predict drug-polymer solubility (melting point depression method and recrystallization method) and propose a guideline for selecting the most suitable method based on physicochemical properties of both the drug and the polymer. Using the two methods, the solubilities of celecoxib, indomethacin, carbamazepine, and ritonavir in polyvinylpyrrolidone, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, and Soluplus® were determined at elevated temperatures and extrapolated to room temperature using the Flory-Huggins model. For the melting point depression method, it was observed that a well-defined drug melting point was required in order to predict drug-polymer solubility, since the method is based on the depression of the melting point as a function of polymer content. In contrast to previous findings, it was possible to measure melting point depression up to 20 °C below the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the polymer for some systems. Nevertheless, in general it was possible to obtain solubility measurements at lower temperatures using polymers with a low Tg. Finally, for the recrystallization method it was found that the experimental composition dependence of the Tg must be differentiable for compositions ranging from 50 to 90% drug (w/w) so that one Tg corresponds to only one composition. Based on these findings, a guideline for selecting the most suitable thermal method to predict drug-polymer solubility based on the physicochemical properties of the drug and polymer is suggested in the form of a decision tree.

Importance of in vitro dissolution conditions for the in vivo predictability of an amorphous solid dispersion containing a pH-sensitive carrier.

The present study investigated the influence of in vitro dissolution conditions on the in vivo predictability of an amorphous solid dispersion of celecoxib (CCX) in the pH-sensitive polymer Eudragit® S 100. Different doses of a 25:75w/w% CCX:Eudragit® S 100 amorphous solid dispersion (CCX:EUD) were investigated. During in vitro dissolution a significant effect of the pH of the dissolution media on the release of CCX was observed. In fasted state simulated intestinal fluid (FaSSIF) pH 6.5, the release of CCX from the amorphous solid dispersion was comparable to that of crystalline CCX and lower than that of amorphous CCX whereas in FaSSIF pH 7.4, the release was significantly increased compared to both crystalline and amorphous CCX. With a 3-fold increase in the exposure of CCX:EUD compared to crystaline CCX. The in vivo data also suggested that Eudragit® S 100 was suitable as a carrier in amorphous solid dispersions of CCX. In vitro-in vivo correlation demonstrated that the in vitro data obtained in FaSSIF pH 7.4 was more predictive for the in vivo performance than that obtained in FaSSIF pH 6.5. Consequently, the findings of this study underline that when predicting the in vivo performance of amorphous solid dispersions with pH-sensitive polymers, it is imperative that the in vitro dissolution conditions are carefully considered.

Statistical Analysis of a Method to Predict Drug-Polymer Miscibility.

In this study, a method proposed to predict drug-polymer miscibility from differential scanning calorimetry measurements was subjected to statistical analysis. The method is relatively fast and inexpensive and has gained popularity as a result of the increasing interest in the formulation of drugs as amorphous solid dispersions. However, it does not include a standard statistical assessment of the experimental uncertainty by means of a confidence interval. In addition, it applies a routine mathematical operation known as "transformation to linearity," which previously has been shown to be subject to a substantial bias. The statistical analysis performed in this present study revealed that the mathematical procedure associated with the method is not only biased, but also too uncertain to predict drug-polymer miscibility at room temperature. Consequently, the statistical inference based on the mathematical procedure is problematic and may foster uncritical and misguiding interpretations. From a statistical perspective, the drug-polymer miscibility prediction should instead be examined by deriving an objective function, which results in the unbiased, minimum variance properties of the least-square estimator as provided in this study.

Influence of PVP/VA copolymer composition on drug-polymer solubility.

In this study, the influence of copolymer composition on drug-polymer solubility was investigated. The solubility of the model drug celecoxib (CCX) in various polyvinylpyrrolidone/vinyl acetate (PVP/VA) copolymer compositions (70/30, 60/40, 50/50 and 30/70 w/w) and the pure homopolymers polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and polyvinyl acetate (PVA) was predicted at 25 °C using a thermal analysis method based on the recrystallization of a supersaturated amorphous dispersion (recrystallization method). These solubilities were compared with a prediction based on the solubility of CCX in the liquid monomeric precursors of PVP/VA, N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP) and vinyl acetate (VA), using the Flory-Huggins lattice theory (liquid monomer solubility approach). The solubilities predicted from the liquid monomer solubility approach increased linearly with increasing VP/VA ratio from 0.03-0.60 w/w. Even though the solubilities predicted from the recrystallization method also increased with increasing VP/VA ratio from 0.02-0.40 w/w, the predicted solubility seemed to approach a plateau at high VP/VA ratios. Increasing positive deviations from the Gordon-Taylor equation with increasing VP/VA ratio indicated strong interactions between CCX and the VP repeat unit, which was in accordance with the relatively high solubilities predicted using both methods. As the solubility plateau may be a consequence of steric hindrance caused by the size differences between CCX and the VP repeat units, it is likely that a CCX molecule interacting with a VP repeat unit hinders another CCX molecule from binding to the neighboring repeat units in the polymer chain. Therefore, it is possible that replacing these neighboring hygroscopic VP repeat units with hydrophobic VA repeat units, could increase the physical stability of an amorphous solid dispersion without compromising the drug-polymer solubility. This knowledge could be used advantageously in future development of amorphous drug delivery systems as copolymers could be customized to provide optimal drug-polymer solubility and physical stability.

Effect of polymer type and drug dose on the in vitro and in vivo behavior of amorphous solid dispersions.

This study investigated the non-sink in vitro dissolution behavior and in vivo performance in rats of celecoxib (CCX) amorphous solid dispersions with polyvinyl acetate (PVA), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) at different drug doses. Both in vitro and in vivo, the amorphous solid dispersions with the hydrophilic polymers PVP and HPMC led to higher areas under both, the in vitro dissolution and the plasma concentration-time curves (AUC) compared to crystalline and amorphous CCX for all doses. In contrast, the amorphous solid dispersion with the hydrophobic polymer PVA showed a lower AUC both in vitro and in vivo than crystalline CCX. For crystalline CCX and CCX:PVA, the in vitro AUC was limited by the low solubility of the drug and the slow release of the drug from the hydrophobic polymer, respectively. For the supersaturating formulations, amorphous CCX, CCX:PVP and CCX:HPMC, the in vitro performance was mainly dependent on the dissolution rate and precipitation/crystallization inhibition of the polymer. As expected, the crystallization tendency increased with increasing dose, and therefore the in vitro AUCs did not increase proportionally with dose. Even though the in vivo AUC for all formulations increased with increasing dose, the relative bioavailability decreased significantly, indicating that the supersaturating formulations also crystallized in vivo and that the absorption of CCX was solubility-limited. These findings underline the importance of evaluating relevant in vitro doses, in order to rationally assess the performance of amorphous solid dispersions and avoid confusion in early in vivo studies.

Influence of Copolymer Composition on In Vitro and In Vivo Performance of Celecoxib-PVP/VA Amorphous Solid Dispersions.

Previous studies suggested that an amorphous solid dispersion with a copolymer consisting of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic monomers could improve the dissolution profile of a poorly water-soluble drug compared to the crystalline form. Therefore, this study investigated the influence of the copolymer composition of polyvinylpyrrolidone/vinyl acetate (PVP/VA) on the non-sink in vitro dissolution behavior and in vivo performance of celecoxib (CCX) amorphous solid dispersions. The study showed that the hydrophilic monomer vinylpyrrolidone (VP) was responsible for the generation of CCX supersaturation whereas the hydrophobic monomer vinyl acetate (VA) was responsible for the stabilization of the supersaturated solution. For CCX, there was an optimal copolymer composition around 50-60% VP content where further replacement of VP monomers with VA monomers did not have any biopharmaceutical advantages. A linear relationship was found between the in vitro AUC(0-4h) and in vivo AUC(0-24h) for the CCX:PVP/VA systems, indicating that the non-sink in vitro dissolution method applied in this study was useful in predicting the in vivo performance. These results indicated that when formulating a poorly water-soluble drug as an amorphous solid dispersion using a copolymer, the copolymer composition has a significant influence on the dissolution profile and in vivo performance. Thus, the dissolution profile of a drug can theoretically be tailored by changing the monomer ratio of a copolymer with respect to the required in vivo plasma-concentration profile. As this ratio is likely to be drug dependent, determining the optimal ratio between the hydrophilic (dissolution enhancing) and hydrophobic (crystallization inhibiting) monomers for a given drug is imperative.

A Promising New Method to Estimate Drug-Polymer Solubility at Room Temperature.

The established methods to predict drug-polymer solubility at room temperature either rely on extrapolation over a long temperature range or are limited by the availability of a liquid analogue of the polymer. To overcome these issues, this work investigated a new methodology where the drug-polymer solubility is estimated from the solubility of the drug in a solution of the polymer at room temperature using the shake-flask method. Thus, the new polymer in solution method does not rely on temperature extrapolations and only requires the polymer and a solvent, in which the polymer is soluble, that does not affect the molecular structure of the drug and polymer relative to that in the solid state. Consequently, as this method has the potential to provide fast and precise estimates of drug-polymer solubility at room temperature, we encourage the scientific community to further investigate this principle both fundamentally and practically.

Influence of polymer molecular weight on in vitro dissolution behavior and in vivo performance of celecoxib:PVP amorphous solid dispersions.

In this study, the influence of the molecular weight of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) on the non-sink in vitro dissolution and in vivo performance of celecoxib (CCX):PVP amorphous solid dispersions were investigated. The dissolution rate of CCX from the amorphous solid dispersions increased with decreasing PVP molecular weight and crystallization inhibition was increased with increasing molecular weight of PVP, but reached a maximum for PVP K30. This suggested that the crystallization inhibition was not proportional with molecular weight of the polymer, but rather there was an optimal molecular weight where the crystallization inhibition was strongest. Consistent with the findings from the non-sink in vitro dissolution tests, the amorphous solid dispersions with the highest molecular weight PVPs (K30 and K60) resulted in significantly higher in vivo bioavailability (AUC0-24h) compared with pure amorphous and crystalline CCX. A linear relationship between the in vitro and in vivo parameter AUC0-24h indicated that the simple non-sink in vitro dissolution method used in this study could be used to predict the in vivo performance of amorphous solid dispersion with good precision, which enabled a ranking between the different formulations. In conclusion, the findings of this study demonstrated that the in vitro and in vivo performance of CCX:PVP amorphous solid dispersions were significantly controlled by the molecular weight of the polymer.

Evaluation of drug-polymer solubility curves through formal statistical analysis: comparison of preparation techniques.

In this study, the influence of the preparation technique (ball milling, spray drying, and film casting) of a supersaturated amorphous dispersion on the quality of solubility determinations of indomethacin in polyvinylpyrrolidone was investigated by means of statistical analysis. After annealing of the amorphous dispersions above the crystallization temperature for 2 h, the solubility curve was derived from the glass transition temperature of the demixed material using the Gordon-Taylor relationship and fitting with the Flory-Huggins model. The study showed that the predicted solubility from the ball-milled mixtures was not consistent with those from spray drying and film casting, indicating fundamental differences between the preparation techniques. Through formal statistical analysis, the best combination of fit to the Flory-Huggins model and reproducibility of the measurements was analyzed. Ball milling provided the best reproducibility of the three preparation techniques; however, an analysis of residuals revealed a systematic error. In contrast, film casting demonstrated a good fit to the model but poor reproducibility of the measurements. Therefore, this study recommends that techniques such as spray drying or potentially film casting (if experimental reproducibility can be improved) should be used to prepare the amorphous dispersions when performing solubility measurements of this kind.

Influence of Polymer Molecular Weight on Drug-Polymer Solubility: A Comparison between Experimentally Determined Solubility in PVP and Prediction Derived from Solubility in Monomer.

In this study, the influence of polymer molecular weight on drug-polymer solubility was investigated using binary systems containing indomethacin (IMC) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) of different molecular weights. The experimental solubility in PVP, measured using a differential scanning calorimetry annealing method, was compared with the solubility calculated from the solubility of the drug in the liquid analogue N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP). The experimental solubility of IMC in the low-molecular-weight PVP K12 was not significantly different from that in the higher molecular weight PVPs (K25, K30, and K90). The calculated solubilities derived from the solubility in NVP (0.31-0.32 g/g) were found to be lower than those experimentally determined in PVP (0.38-0.40 g/g). Nevertheless, the similarity between the values indicates that the analogue solubility can provide valuable indications on the solubility in the polymer. Hence, if a drug is soluble in an analogue of the polymer, it is most likely also soluble in the polymer. In conclusion, the solubility of a given drug-polymer system is determined by the strength of the drug-polymer interactions rather than the molecular weight of the polymer. Therefore, during the first screenings for drug solubility in polymers, only one representative molecular weight per polymer is needed.