Detection of trace crystallinity in an amorphous system using Raman microscopy and chemometric analysis

A novel analytical method to detect and characterize active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) trace crystallinity in an amorphous system using Raman microscopy and chemometric methods, namely band-target entropy minimization (BTEM) and target transformation factor analysis (TTFA) is developed. The method starts with Raman mapping measurements performed on some random areas of the amorphous system. This is followed by chemometric data analysis. In the case of a system without any a priori information, the BTEM algorithm is used to recover a set of pure component Raman spectral estimates followed by component and/or crystal structure identification. In the case of a system with some a priori information, TTFA is used to predict the presence or existence of a suspected component and/or crystal structure in the observed system.Four different amorphous systems were used as models. It is demonstrated that combined Raman microscopy and chemometric methods (BTEM or TTFA) outperformed powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) in detecting trace crystallinity in amorphous systems. The spatial distributions of drug and polymer can also be directly obtained in order to study the homogeneity of the APIs in the solid dispersions. The present methodology appears very general and applicable to many other types of systems.     

Process analytical technology (PAT): quantification approaches in terahertz spectroscopy for pharmaceutical application

Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy and chemometric analysis of resultant absorption spectra in the 30-500 cm(-1) range has been applied to perform quantitative determination of both active ingredient and excipient concentrations of tablets. Tests were performed on a series of tablets composed of various concentrations and processes of theophylline formulated with lactose, magnesium stearate, starch or Avicel, and as a function of tablet hardness. Transmission spectra of polyethylene pellets derived from each of the samples were analyzed using three approaches. Spectral superposition method was used as an indirect measure to examine whether and when the interaction among various pharmaceutical components and the tableting history could be considered insignificant for quantification purpose. Spectral characteristic peak method was able to correlate peak maxima with correction for tablets having the same hardness. Multivariate analysis (PCR and PLS 1) was capable of correlating THz spectra with tablet concentrations. The predicted concentrations of independent samples using multivariate models agreed well with nominal concentrations. The best correlations were obtained using multivariate analysis. With these studies, the advantage of using multivariate approach was demonstrated for process analytical technology (PAT) application. Further, the feasibility of integrating THz spectroscopy and chemometrics for the purpose of quantifying pharmaceutical tablet concentrations was demonstrated.     

A nanoscale study of particle friction in a pharmaceutical system

Studies of single particle interactions in dry powder inhaler (DPI) formulations using atomic force microscopy (AFM) have recently grown in popularity. Currently, these experiments are all based on measuring particle adhesion forces. We broaden this approach by presenting a novel AFM friction study of single particles in a pharmaceutical system, to examine forces acting parallel to a surface. The sliding friction signal of lactose particles attached to AFM cantilevers was recorded in lateral force (LF) mode over 5 microm x 5 microm areas on five different surfaces chosen to represent both relevant inter-particle and particle-surface interactions. A ranking of friction forces was obtained as follows: glass approximately equal to zanamivir >zanamivir-magnesium stearate (99.5%/0.5%, w/w) blend approximately equal to magnesium stearate approximately equal to PTFE. The addition of magnesium stearate to the zanamivir surface dominated and significantly reduced the friction (Kruskal-Wallis test, P<0.001). AFM images of the contacting asperities of the lactose particles show changes in contact morphology due to two processes. Firstly the asperity wears flat due to abrasion and secondly small magnesium stearate particles transfer onto the asperity. It is proposed that in combination with AFM particle adhesion measurements, this method could be used to screen new formulations and the effectiveness of tertiary components in modifying carrier-drug interactions.     

Application of near-infrared spectroscopy for nondestructive analysis of Avicel powders and tablets

The purpose of this study was to use near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) as a nondestructive technique to (a) differentiate three Avicel products (microcrystalline cellulose [MCC] PH-101, PH-102, and PH-200) in powdered form and in compressed tablets with and without 0.5% w/w magnesium stearate as a lubricant; (b) determine the magnesium stearate concentrations in the tablets; and (c) measure hardness of tablets compressed at several compression forces. Diffuse reflectance NIR spectra from Avicel powders and tablets (compression forces ranging from 0.2 to 1.2 tons) were collected and distance scores calculated from the second-derivative spectra were used to distinguish the different Avicel products. A multiple linear regression model was generated to determine magnesium stearate concentrations (from 0.25 to 2% w/w), and partial least squares (PLS) models were generated to predict hardness of tablets. The NIRS technique could distinguish between the three different Avicel products, irrespective of lubricant concentration, in both the powdered form and in the compressed tablets because of the differences in the particle size of the Avicel products. The percent error for predicting the lubricant concentration of tablets ranged from 0.2 to 10% w/w. The maximum percent error of prediction of hardness of tablets compressed at the various compression forces was 8.8% for MCC PH-101, 5.3% for MCC PH-102, and 4.6% for MCC PH-200. The NIRS nondestructive technique can be used to predict the Avicel type in both powdered and tablet forms as well as to predict the lubricant concentration and hardness.     

The Influence of Magnesium Stearate on the Hiestand Tableting Indices and Other Related Mechanical Properties of Maltodextrins

Magnesium stearate is widely used as a lubricant in pharmaceutical dosage forms. A film of magnesium stearate, or other lubricant, around individual granules is generally considered to cause the softening of tablets. Maltodextrins were chosen as model excipients since maltodextrins possessing a series of molecular weights showed systematically changing consolidation mechanisms. As maltodextrin molecular weight increases, the plasticity of the material increases. The Hiestand Tableting Indices and other related mechanical properties were used to study the effect of magnesium stearate addition on the mechanical properties and consolidation mechanisms of single component maltodextrins. Magnesium stearate was shown to lower the tensile strengths of maltodextrin compacts. Additionally, magnesium stearate addition lowered both the Hiestand Bonding Index and the Hiestand Brittle Fracture Index. The lower values of the Hiestand Brittle Fracture Index indicate that magnesium stearate promotes greater plastic behavior in maltodextrin compacts.     

The influence of magnesium stearate on the Hiestand Tableting Indices and other related mechanical properties of maltodextrins

Magnesium stearate is widely used as a lubricant in pharmaceutical dosage forms. A film of magnesium stearate, or other lubricant, around individual granules is generally considered to cause the softening of tablets. Maltodextrins were chosen as model excipients since maltodextrins possessing a series of molecular weights showed systematically changing consolidation mechanisms. As maltodextrin molecular weight increases, the plasticity of the material increases. The Hiestand Tableting Indices and other related mechanical properties were used to study the effect of magnesium stearate addition on the mechanical properties and consolidation mechanisms of single component maltodextrins. Magnesium stearate was shown to lower the tensile strengths of maltodextrin compacts. Additionally, magnesium stearate addition lowered both the Hiestand Bonding Index and the Hiestand Brittle Fracture Index. The lower values of the Hiestand Brittle Fracture Index indicate that magnesium stearate promotes greater plastic behavior in maltodextrin compacts.     

Characterization of different laser irradiation methods for quantitative Raman tablet assessment

Quantitative Raman spectroscopy of conventional wet granulated pharmaceutical immediate release tablets and subsequent data evaluation was investigated. Different aspects of quantitative assessment of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in intact tablets with special focus on sub-sampling issues were addressed. Four different geometric laser irradiance patterns were examined to study the effect of sub-sampling within the tablets. The Raman data was evaluated using both univariate and multivariate techniques. UV absorbance spectroscopy was used as a reference method. The best result in terms of prediction error was attained by irradiating a large area of the tablets. Using multivariate calibration with multiplicative signal correction (MSC) the prediction error was 1.7%. In addition, the effect of tablet density on the Raman assessment was investigated. It was found that quantitative Raman assessment of chemical content can be made insensitive to variations in tablet density corresponding to a manufacturing compression interval of 5-20 kN provided that adequate data treatment is used. A short discussion about sample heating in the context of different irradiation patterns is included with reference to previous work. In conclusion, the present study provides a platform for developing an implementation strategy for quantitative Raman spectroscopy for both laboratory analysis and process analytical technology (PAT) applications.     

Influence of wet granulation and lubrication on the powder and tableting properties of codried product of microcrystalline cellulose with beta-cyclodextrin.

The individual influence of wet granulation and lubrication on the powder and tableting properties of codried product of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) with beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) was examined in this study. Avicel PH 101 and 301 were included for comparison. The codried product, Avicel PH 101 and 301 were granulated with water, and the granules were milled to retain three different size fractions: 37-60 microm, 60-150 microm, and 150-420 microm. The original Avicels and codried product were lubricated with magnesium stearate in three different percentages (0.2, 0.5, and 1.0%). The results showed that the powder flowability and disintegration of codried product and Avicels were significantly improved after wet granulation. However, the compactibility of codried product and Avicels decreased with increasing particle size. Nevertheless, the compactibility of the codried excipient after granulation was still better than the non-granulated Avicel PH 101 and 301. On the other hand, codried product and Avicels were sensitive to lubrication and resulted in decreasing compactibility and increasing disintegration. Because of the rounder shape of particles, the codried excipient was more sensitive to magnesium stearate and produced weaker tablets than did Avicels.     

A study on maize proteins as a potential new tablet excipient

This investigation has examined the use of zein proteins from maize as the major component in oral controlled-release tablets, such formulations often being required to improve patient compliance. Tablets containing ground zein proteins, calcium hydrogen orthophosphate, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, theophylline and magnesium stearate were produced by wet granulation and compression on a single station tablet press and were compared to directly compressed tablets based on zein proteins, calcium hydrogen orthophosphate and theophylline. Non invasive techniques such as Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy and Fourier Transform Raman spectroscopy were employed to investigate any changes in the secondary structure of zein proteins during tablet production. Random coils, alpha helices and beta sheets predominated and their relative content remained unaffected during grinding, wet granulation and compression, indicating that formulations based on zeins will be robust, i.e. insensitive to minor changes in the production conditions. Drug release from the tablets was studied using a standard pharmacopoeial dissolution test. Dissolution profiles in water, 0.1M HCl (pH=1) and phosphate buffer (pH=6.8) show that only a limited amount of theophylline was released after 4.5h, suggesting that zein proteins could act as a potential vehicle for oral controlled drug release. Analysis of the theophylline release profiles using the Peppas and Sahlin model reveals that diffusion and polymer relaxation occurred in acidic (pH=1) and buffered (pH=6.8) conditions for wet granulated tablets, whereas diffusion was predominant in directly compressed tablets. In conclusion, the present study has shown that zeins can be successfully used as a pharmaceutical excipient, and in particular as a matrix in monolithic controlled release tablets.     

Potential of Raman Spectroscopy for Evaluating Crushing Strength of Tablets

Introduction  

This study evaluates the sensitivity of Raman spectroscopy to changes in physical attributes of the compacted pharmaceutical formulations prepared with lactose monohydrate (49 wt.%), microcrystalline cellulose (49 wt.%), silicone dioxide (1 wt.%), and magnesium stearate (1 wt.%). The tablets made with raw powder were subjected to two iterative dry granulation cycles, i.e., tablet crushing, sieving, and re-tableting. Different compaction forces were applied during tableting. Small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering was used to study physical changes of the granulates and their respective compacts.     

Raman mapping of pharmaceuticals

Raman spectroscopy may be implemented through a microscope to provide fine scale axial and lateral chemical maps. The molecular structure of many drugs makes Raman spectroscopy particularly well suited to the investigation of pharmaceutical systems. Chemometric methods currently used to assess bulk Raman spectroscopic data are typically applied to Raman mapping data from pharmaceuticals; few reports exist where the spatial information inherent to a mapped dataset is used for the calculation of chemical maps. Both univariate and multivariate methods have been applied to Raman mapping data to determine the distribution of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in tablets, solid dispersions for increased solubility and controlled release devices. The ability to axially (depth) profile using Raman mapping has been used in studies of API penetration through membranes, cellular uptake of drug delivery liposomes, and initial API distribution and subsequent elution from coatings of medical devices. New instrumental developments will increase the efficiency of Raman mapping and lead to greater utilisation of Raman mapping for analyses of pharmaceutical systems.     

Quantification and spatial distribution of salicylic acid in film tablets using FT-Raman mapping with multivariate curve resolution

In this study, we proposed a rapid and sensitive method for quantification and spatial distribution of salicylic acid in film tablets using FT-Raman spectroscopy with multivariate curve resolution (MCR). For this purpose, the constituents of film tablets were identified by using FT-Raman spectroscopy, and then eight different concentrations of salicylic acid tablets were visualized by Raman mapping. MCR was applied to mapping data to expose the active pharmaceutical ingredients in the presence of other excipients by monitoring distribution maps and combination of FT-Raman mapping with MCR enabled the determination of lower salicylic acid concentrations. In addition, the distribution of major excipient, lactose, was examined in the tablet form. A calibration curve was obtained by plotting the intensity of the Raman signal at 1635 cm⁻¹ versus the concentration of salicylic acid and the correlation was found to be linear within the range of 0.5%–3.9% with a correlation coefficient of 0.99. The limit of detection for the technique was determined 0.35%. The ability of the technique to quantify salicylic acid in tablet test samples was also investigated.     

Study of the compressibility of chewing gum and its applicability as an oral drug delivery system

Medicated chewing gum tablets were prepared and evaluated as an oral drug delivery system. The morphology and surface free energy of the components were characterized, and the tablets were prepared by direct compression with an instrumented eccentric tableting machine. The compressibility, the porosity and the texture of the tablets were investigated and the dissolution of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (caffeine) from them was tested with a specially-developed method. Cafosa gum base is a co-processed product which is compressible. Because of the sticking of the tablets to the punches and the high friction that arises during ejection from the die, the use of lubricants and suitable (e.g. Teflon-coated) punches is necessary on a production scale. For this purpose, magnesium stearate with high specific surface area was applied. The release of caffeine in response to the mechanical effect applied proved to be rapid and quantitative and the profile closely obeyed the Korsmeyer–Peppas equation, which is valid in the case of matrix systems. Medicated chewing gum tablets can be used as matrix tablets for oral pharmaceutical administration.     

Galenic approaches in troubleshooting of glibenclamide tablet adhesion in compression machine punches

This study aimed to examine the adhesion of glibenclamide 5 mg tablets to the tools of compression machines. This problem is not commonly reported in the literature, since it is considered as tacit knowledge. The starting point was the implementation of three technical alternatives: changing the parameters of compression, evaluating the humidity of the powder blend and the manufacturer of the lubricant magnesium stearate. The adhesion was directly related to the characteristics of magnesium stearate from different manufacturers, and the feasibility of evaluating powder flow characteristics by different techniques that are not routinely followed in various pharmaceutical companies. In vitro dissolution tests showed that the magnesium stearate manufacturer can influence on the dissolution profile of glibenclamide tablets. This study presented various aspects of tablet adhesion to compression machine punches. Troubleshooting approaches can be, most of times, conducted based on previous experience, or an experimental research needs to be implemented in order to have confident results.     

End point determination of blending process for trimebutine tablets using principle component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares (PLS) regression

This study showed near Infrared (NIR) and Raman spectroscopy with a multivariate calibration approach were very effective to determine blend uniformity end-point. A set of 36 trimebutine samples containing magnesium stearate, stearic acid, colloidal silicon oxide, talc as excipients (0.9%??1.8%) was acquired from six positions during blending processing with U-type blender from 0 to 30 min. Principle component analysis (PCA) with NIR and Raman spectral data was used to confirm the end-point of blending. After 30 min, the scores of principle component (PC) 1 and principle component (PC) 2 for samples moved into one point, which clearly indicated the mixture of sample became homogenous. In addition, NIR and Raman spectroscopy has been applied to the quantitative analysis of 20 trimebutine samples containing 2??40% in mixture granules, which divided into a calibration set of 15 samples and a prediction set of 5 samples for NIR spectral data. The standard error of calibration (SEC) and standard error of prediction (SEP) are 0.15% and 0.13%, respectively using NIR while SEC and SEP of 0.95% and 0.91% are obtained using Raman spectroscopy. The results showed the NIR and Raman spectroscopy with a multivariate calibration such as PCA and PLS provide the possibility of real time monitoring of homogeneity and content uniformity during blending process.     

Process analytical technology (PAT): effects of instrumental and compositional variables on terahertz spectral data quality to characterize pharmaceutical materials and tablets

The aim of this study was to use terahertz spectroscopy to characterize pharmaceutical materials and tablets, and to understand the effects of measuring conditions and compositional variability on the data quality. Tests were performed on five formulation components (theophylline, lactose, starch, Avicel, magnesium stearate) and a series of tablets composed of various concentrations of theophylline and excipients. Transmission spectra of polyethylene (PE) disks derived from each of the samples were analyzed. Three factors (component loading, component chemistry, and disk drying time) were screened as critical factors associated with the magnitude and location of THz absorbance peaks. Applying the standard sample spectra divided by PE reference spectra ratio method revealed that, to a large extent, PE was responsible for the disk drying time dependence. Direct spectral feature analysis along with mass-transfer analysis of the disk drying process revealed THz absorption peak maxima of lactose (255 cm(-1)) and water (54 and 210 cm(-1)) which is also supported by literature values for the peak maxima assignment for water. Particle scattering due to specimen and PE was found to be also partially responsible for the observed spectral intensities. The importance of THz spectroscopy was demonstrated for characterization of pharmaceutical materials and tablet.     

Interactions in the ternary powder system microcrystalline cellulose,magnesium stearate and colloidal silica —a solubility parameter approach

The intensity of the interactions between the components of the ternary powder system microcrystalline cellulose, magnesium stearate and colloidal silica have been predicted using literature and calculated values for their partial solubility parameters. These show that there is a greater interaction between magnesium stearate and colloidal silica than between magnesium stearate and microcrystalline cellulose, consistent with known literature data. With these results predictions can be made concerning the properties of tablets prepared from these ternary mixtures.     

红景天分散片的研制及质量控制

目的：探讨红景天分散片制备工艺及质量标准。方法：采用正交设计法对红景天分散片的辅料进行了筛选，并对质量控制方法进行了研究。结果：选择2％低取代羟丙基纤维素（L-HPC）、10％羧甲基淀粉钠（CMS—Na）为崩解剂，2％聚乙烯吡咯烷酮（PVPK-30）的20％乙醇溶液为黏合剂，0．2％硬脂酸镁为润滑剂，进行湿法制粒压片。制备的分散片每片含红景天多糖0．1g，崩解时限为35s，45min溶出量为标示量的76．73％，符合中华人民共和国药典（2005年版）对分散片的要求。结论：所制备的红景天分散片制备工艺简单，溶出度高，性质稳定，具有实用价值。     

高载药量的恩曲他滨替诺福韦片处方优化研究

目的 研究一种高载药量的恩曲他滨替诺福韦复方片处方,优化其处方配伍方案。 方法 在对国外上市制剂的处方工艺进行分析的基础上,进行稳定剂、填充剂、崩解剂、黏合剂的筛选和最终处方的放大验证,确定合理可行的处方工艺。结果 以处方解析确定的高风险因素为考察指标,确定了高载药量的恩曲他滨替诺福韦片的处方:每片含恩曲他滨200 mg,富马酸替诺福韦二吡呋酯300 mg,预胶化淀粉60 mg,微晶纤维素100 mg,交联羧甲基纤维素钠30 mg,硬脂酸镁5 mg,95%乙醇为黏合剂。自制片与对照片质量比对结果一致。结论 筛选的恩曲他滨替诺福韦复方片处方工艺合理可行,产品重现性和稳定性好。