Nasal administration has potential for the treatment of indications requiring a fast onset of effect or for drugs with low oral bioavailability. Liquid nasal sprays are relatively common, but can be associated with suboptimal absorption from the nasal cavity; this thesis shows that nasal absorption can be significantly enhanced with a dry powder formulation. It was shown that interactive mixtures, consisting of fine drug particles adhered to the surface of mucoadhesive carrier particles, could be created in a particle size suitable for nasal administration. Sodium starch glycolate (SSG), a common tablet excipient, was used as carrier material. In vitro evaluation of the formulation indicated that the mucoadhesion of the carrier was unlikely to be affected by the addition of a drug. The powder formulation did not improve the in vitro transfer of dihydroergotamine across porcine nasal mucosa compared with a liquid formulation; however, the results were associated with methodological shortcomings. The binding of model substances to SSG and three other excipients was evaluated. Ion exchange interactions were for example detected between SSG and cationic drugs, but these interactions were most extensive at low salt concentrations and should unlikely affect in vivo bioavailability at physiological salt concentrations. Absorption of the peptide drug desmopressin from the SSG nasal formulation, from a novel sublingual tablet formulation and from a commercial nasal liquid spray was evaluated in a clinical trial. While no improvement over the liquid spray was seen with the sublingual tablet, plasma concentrations after the nasal powder formulation were three times higher than those after the liquid spray. All formulations were well accepted by the volunteers. The use of currently available mucoadhesive carrier particles in interactive mixtures offers potential for a new method of producing nasal powder formulations that should also be applicable to large scale production.

<p>This thesis presents two new concepts in oral drug administration and the results of evaluation of some relevant formulation factors.</p><p>Investigation into improving the homogeneity of mixtures for tableting indicated that it may be possible to obtain interactive dry mixtures of micronised drugs containing drug proportions as low as 0.015% w/w. By studying the relationship between disintegration time and tensile strength, it was found that the microstructure surrounding the disintegrant particles may influence the disintegration process. Therefore, avoidance of excipients which are highly deformable or very soluble in water will result in more rapid disintegration. Further, it is possible to increase the bioadhesive properties of a non-bioadhesive carrier material by forming interactive mixtures containing a fine particulate bioadhesive material.</p><p>The new sublingual tablet concept presented is based on interactive mixtures consisting of a water-soluble carrier covered with fine drug particles and a bioadhesive component. With this approach, it is possible to obtain rapid dissolution in combination with bioadhesive retention of the drug in the oral cavity. Clinical data indicate that this allows rapid sublingual absorption while simultaneously avoiding intestinal absorption. </p><p>An individualised dose administration system is also presented. This system is based on the use of standardised units (microtablets), each containing a sub-therapeutic amount of the active ingredient. The required dose is fine-tuned by electronically counting out a specific number of these units using an automatic dose dispenser. A patient handling study supported the suggestion that the dosage of some medications can be more easily and safely individualised for each patient with this method than by using traditional methods of mixing different standard tablet strengths or dividing tablets.</p>

This thesis presents two new concepts in oral drug administration and the results of evaluation of some relevant formulation factors. Investigation into improving the homogeneity of mixtures for tableting indicated that it may be possible to obtain interactive dry mixtures of micronised drugs containing drug proportions as low as 0.015% w/w. By studying the relationship between disintegration time and tensile strength, it was found that the microstructure surrounding the disintegrant particles may influence the disintegration process. Therefore, avoidance of excipients which are highly deformable or very soluble in water will result in more rapid disintegration. Further, it is possible to increase the bioadhesive properties of a non-bioadhesive carrier material by forming interactive mixtures containing a fine particulate bioadhesive material. The new sublingual tablet concept presented is based on interactive mixtures consisting of a water-soluble carrier covered with fine drug particles and a bioadhesive component. With this approach, it is possible to obtain rapid dissolution in combination with bioadhesive retention of the drug in the oral cavity. Clinical data indicate that this allows rapid sublingual absorption while simultaneously avoiding intestinal absorption. An individualised dose administration system is also presented. This system is based on the use of standardised units (microtablets), each containing a sub-therapeutic amount of the active ingredient. The required dose is fine-tuned by electronically counting out a specific number of these units using an automatic dose dispenser. A patient handling study supported the suggestion that the dosage of some medications can be more easily and safely individualised for each patient with this method than by using traditional methods of mixing different standard tablet strengths or dividing tablets.