Development of rapidly dissolving pellets within the Quality by Design approach.

The purpose of this study was the development of novel, fast disintegrating, effervescent pellets by employing the direct pelletization technique as a single step process. In line with the Quality by Design (QbD) regulatory framework, statistical experimental design was extensively applied to correlate significant formulation and process variables with the critical quality attributes of the product. Pellets were studied with regards to sphericity, size and size distribution. In contrast to the existing multiparticulate platforms, this development integrated only water-soluble excipients to facilitate the multifunctional use of the final dosage form. The application of a screening fractional factorial design augmented to a full factorial design set the roadmap for the rational selection of the composition and process parameters, revealing in parallel the positive contribution of the powder feeder on the CQAs, when the critical process and formulation factors were properly adjusted. The response surface methodology was exploited for the final process optimization phase, which allowed the construction of appropriate mathematical models connecting the input variables and the CQAs under study. The implementation of the desirability function, lead to the optimum formulation and process settings for the production of pellets with narrow size distribution and geometric mean diameter of approximately 800 µm. In conclusion, using a lean approach supported by design of experiments (DoE) techniques within the QbD framework, a novel multifunctional formulation platform has been developed.

Evaluation and simultaneous optimization of some pellets characteristics using a 3(3) factorial design and the desirability function.

A 3(3) full factorial design study has been employed in order to investigate the effect of three variables on size, size distribution and three shape parameters, namely roundness, elongation and e(R), of pellets prepared in a fluid bed rotor granulator with the wet granulation technique. The first variable was a formulation variable, the % w/w content of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and the other two variables were processing variables, the temperature of inlet air and the spray rate of the granulation liquid. The analysis of variance showed that the three variables had a significant effect (P<0.05) on pellet size and the shape factors, while only the spray rate influenced the particle size distribution. Significant interactions between the factors, for the size and the shape, were also found. The multiple regression analysis of the results led to equations that adequately describe the influence of the independent variables on the selected responses. Furthermore, the desirability function was employed in order to optimize the process under study. It was found that the optimum values of the responses could be obtained at the low levels of the % w/w content of MCC and temperature of inlet air and at the high level of the spray rate.

In vitro evaluation of nimodipine permeation through human epidermis using response surface methodology.

An optimization technique (response surface method) was used in order to investigate the effect of the combination of two enhancers, namely caprylic acid and cineol on nimodipine's permeation through human cadaver epidermis. Using this quadratic model it was found that at 24 h the increase of the permeation of nimodipine it was mainly due to the effect of caprylic acid. On the contrary, it was shown that at 48 and 72 h the combination of the two enhancers contributed to the increase of the permeation. The greater Q(gel)/Q(control) values, at all time intervals (24, 48 and 72 h), were obtained when the concentration of cineol and caprylic acid range from 3.0 to 5.0% (v/v) and 8.0 to 9.5% (v/v), respectively.

Optimization of the pelletization process in a fluid-bed rotor granulator using experimental design.

This study examined the effect of rotor speed, amount of water sprayed, and atomizing air pressure on the geometric mean diameter and geometric standard deviation of pellets produced in a fluid-bed rotor granulator using a 23 factorial design and an optimization technique. Pellets were prepared by wet granulation. Equal amounts of microcrystalline cellulose, alpha-lactose monohydrate, and distilled water were used as the granulation liquid. The size and the size distribution of the pellets were determined by sieve analysis. The size of the pellets was found to be dependent on the amount of water added, while an increase in rotor speed decreased their size. Both factors were found to be statistically significant (P <.05). The effect of atomizing air pressure on pellet size was not statistically significant. None of the 3 factors significantly affected the geometric standard deviation of the pellets. The rotor speed and the amount of water sprayed were further selected in order to construct a mathematical model that correlates these factors with the geometric mean diameter of the pellets. For this purpose, the optimization technique 3(2) was used. The derived equation described the relationship between the selected factors and the size of the pellets. As a result, the experimental design techniques applied were found to be suitable in optimizing the pelletization process carried out in a fluid-bed rotor granulator.

Development and in vitro evaluation of nimodipine transdermal formulations using factorial design.

The in vitro permeation of nimodipine through human cadaver skin, as a preliminary step toward the development of a transdermal therapeutic system, was investigated. In vitro release studies were carried out using modified Franz diffusion cells and human epidermal membrane, taken from full-thickness cadaver skin by heat separation technique. To estimate the effect of the type of enhancer, the concentration of enhancer and the concentration of the gelling agent on the permeation of nimodipine, a 2(3) factorial design was involved. The type of enhancer was further evaluated, because it was found to be important for the permeation of nimodipine; the concentration of enhancer and the concentration of the gelling agent were kept at their optimum levels in all experiments. Six groups of enhancers (alkanols, alkanoic acids, alkanoic acids ethyl esters, caprylic acid alkyl esters, essential oils and some other enhancers) were examined for their ability to increase the permeation of nimodipine. It was found that myristyl alcohol, caprylic acid, L-menthol, and oleic acid gave better permeation rates at 24 hr, with oleic acid being the better enhancer, and higher permeation rates at 48 and 72 hr were achieved only when cineol was used.

A freeze-dried injectable form of ibuprofen: development and optimisation using response surface methodology.

In this study a complex of Ibuprofen and b-Hydroxypropylcyclodextrin was prepared employing a freeze drying method. The production parameters and the final specifications of this product were optimized by using response surface methodology. The results show that the freeze dried complex meets the requirements for solubility to be considered as a possible injectable form.