Efavirenz dissolution enhancement III: Colloid milling, pharmacokinetics and electronic tongue evaluation.

Efavirenz (EFV), a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), is part of first-line therapy for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection (HIV-1/AIDS). This drug shows relatively low oral absorption and bioavailability, as well as high intra- and inter-subject variability. Several studies have shown that treatment failure and adverse effects are associated with low and high EFV plasma concentrations, respectively. Some studies suggest different EFV formulations to minimize inter-patient variability and improve its solubility and dissolution; however, all of these formulations are complex, using for instance, cyclodextrins, dendrimers and polymeric nanoparticles, rendering them inviable industrially. The aim of this work was to prepare simple and low-cost suspensions of EFV for improvement of solubility and dissolution rate by using colloid mill, spray or freeze-drying, and characterization of the powders obtained. The results demonstrated an increase in the dissolution rate of EFV, using 0.2% of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and 0.2% of hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC) or hydroxypropylmetilcellulose (HPMC) in both freeze and spray dried powders. The pharmacokinetic studies demonstrated improved pharmacokinetic parameters for the formulation containing SLS and HPC. The powders obtained, which present enhanced dissolution properties, can be incorporated in a solid dosage form for treatment of AIDS in paediatric patients with promising results.

Pharmacokinetics evaluation of soft agglomerates for prompt delivery of enteric pantoprazole-loaded microparticles.

Soft agglomerates containing pantoprazole-loaded microparticles were developed with the aim of prompt delivery of gastro-resistant particles. The objective was to evaluate the relative bioavailability in dogs after the oral administration of soft agglomerates. Gastro-resistant pantoprazole-loaded microparticles prepared by spray drying were mixed with mannitol/lecithin spray-dried powder and agglomerated by vibration. One single oral dose (40mg) was administered to dogs. Each dog received either a reference tablet or hard gelatin capsules containing the agglomerates. The plasma profiles were evaluated by non-compartmental and compartmental approaches, and the pharmacokinetic parameters were determined. The agglomerates presented 100% of drug particle loading and a production yield of 80.5%. The amount of drug absorbed after oral dosing was similar after reference or agglomerate administration, leading to a relative bioavailability of 108%. The absorption lag-time was significantly reduced after agglomerate administration (from 135.5+/-50.6 to 15.0+/-2.5min). The agglomerated gastro-resistant pantoprazole-loaded microparticles reduced time to peak plasma. The agglomerates were equivalent to the reference tablets in terms of extent but not in terms of rate of absorption, showing that this formulation is an alternative to single-unit oral dosing with enteric coating and with the advantage of reducing time to effect.