Constant Potassium Chloride Release from Microporous Membrane-Coated Tablets Prepared with Aqueous Colloidal Polymer Dispersions

To achieve constant drug release and to avoid the use of organic solvents, potassium chloride tablets were coated with aqueous latexes containing dispersed pore-formers with pH-dependent solubility characteristics. The pore-forming agent, dibasic calcium phosphate, was insoluble in the latex but soluble at low pH. Upon contact with simulated gastric fluids, it leached out rapidly to form a rate-controlling, microporous membrane. The release of potassium chloride was linear with time up to 75–80% drug released. It increased with increasing level of pore-former and decreasing membrane thickness but was independent of the degree of agitation and the pH of the dissolution medium after leaching of the pigments. Upon storage at different relative humidities, moisture uptake of the film coat and variations in the release profiles over time were minimal.