Automated system for the on-line monitoring of powder blending processes using near-infrared spectroscopy. Part II. Qualitative approaches to blend evaluation.

Near Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is seen as a very powerful tool in a variety of applications involving powder characterisation. Here we deal with a typical pharmaceutical application of powder blend monitoring. A D-optimal experimental design is used to cover the 85-115% range of the target formulation which is comprised of the active component at 3.5% w/w, Microcrystalline Cellulose (Avicel PH102) at 62%, Dibasic Calcium Phosphate Anhydrous at 31.5%, Sodium Starch Glycolate (Explotab) at 2%, and 1% Magnesium Stearate. A miniature Flobin blender has been modified to enable the use of a fibre optic probe for on-line NIR spectral data collection. The experiments were successful in detecting spectral changes which eventually converged to constant variance. While the NIR spectrum of a powdered sample is rich in information which is representative of both the physical and chemical characteristics of the sample, it is at times difficult to select the appropriate mathematical treatments in order to extract the desired information. This article investigates several possible pre-treatments (including detrending (DT), standard normal variates (SNV), second derivatives, and the combination of SNV and DT) together with several ways in establishing blend homogeneity, which includes the running block standard deviation, dissimilarity calculations and principal components analysis (PCA). The focus of this work is to investigate qualitative tools of analysis for blend homogeneity determinations, while future work will focus on quantitative data interpretation.

On-line monitoring of powder blend homogeneity by near-infrared spectroscopy.

Near-infrared spectroscopy is evaluated as an on-line technique for monitoring the homogeneity of a pharmaceutical blend during the blending process. Blends containing 10% sodium benzoate (model active), which provided an aromatic functionality typical of many pharmaceutical compounds, 39% microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel PH102), 50% lactose, and 1% magnesium stearate were developed to mimic the properties of an actual pharmaceutical blend. A twin-shell V-blender was modified to allow installation of a diffuse reflectance fiber-optic probe at the axis of rotation, and spectra were collected during three experiments using a commercially available near-infrared spectrophotometer. In each experiment, blender control and spectral data collection were controlled by a compilation of software packages. The experiments detected spectral changes which eventually converged to a point of constant variance. Further analysis of the spectral data showed the blend is homogeneous long before a typical blending period is complete. Near-infrared spectroscopy has proven to be a feasible and effective method for the "real time" noninvasive determination of homogeneity in a pharmaceutical blend.

Appearance of discontinuities in spectra transformed by the piecewise direct instrument standardization procedure.

Several years ago, we noted that spectra transformed by the piecewise direct standardization (PDS) method may contain discontinuities. Having noticed that the problem was a recurring one, we studied it and recently diagnosed its source. Our investigations suggest that this problem also occurs in applications of window factor analysis, evolving factor analysis, and any other procedure that uses piecewise principal component models. In this work, we report the source of the problem and illustrate it with one example. A procedure is presented for eliminating the problem that is effective in PDS pattern recognition applications. Further work is needed to develop modified algorithms suitable for calibration applications.

A robotic dissolution system with on-line fiber-optic UV analysis.

An automated, robotic system has been developed with on-line UV fiber optics for real time dissolution analysis of solid dosage forms. The system is comprised of "off-the-shelf" hardware including a UV-Vis diode array spectrophotometer, fiber optic coupler, immersion probe, robot, and dissolution apparatus. The software system is modular with the functionalities of control, data acquisition, and spectral analysis separated into three Windows applications with communications performed via Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE). The fiber optic spectrophotometer collects a full spectrum over the range of 190-810 nm. Single wavelength UV analysis is performed on dosage forms in six dissolution vessels. The robotic system automates all facets of the analyses: measuring, degassing, and dispensing of the media; thermostating the media to physiologic temperature; dropping the dosage forms into the vessels; immersing the fiber optic probe at the appropriate time intervals; initiating the data acquisition, analyses, and reporting; and emptying and washing of the vessels prior to the next automated run. As a representative dosage form, 10 mg active tablets were selected and analyzed by this method. This fiber optic system has significantly improved the throughput of the robotic systems by eliminating the need for time consuming off-line HPLC or UV analyses. In addition, with the exception of system calibration, it is no longer necessary for laboratory personnel to come in contact with samples.