Conventional solid dosage forms often lead to fluctuations which exceed the maximum safe therapeutic level and/or decline below the minimum effective level. It is recognised that many drugs for chronic administration should be administered on a schedule that maintains plasma drug concentration within the therapeutic window. Research in controlled release dosage forms aims at designing a system with a zero-order input (eg, ideally to deliver 8.33% of the dose per hour over a 12 hour duration), producing steady state plasma drug levels. Oral dministration of drugs prepared as a controlled release formulation is extremely popular, and has attracted the attention of pharmaceutical scientists during the last decade. This has been due to the simultaneous convergence of various factors (eg, discovery of novel polymers and devices, better understanding of formulation and physiological constraints, expiration of existing patents, prohibitive cost of developing new drug entities), involved in the development of these delivery systems. Controlled release oral products can be formulated as single or multiple unit dosage forms and the relative merits of multiple unit forms with their own rate controlling systems are well established. This work describes the development of a relatively inexpensive multiple-unit capsule dosage form of theophylline containing coated mini-tablets for drug delivery throughout the gastrointestinal tract. Preformulation studies on theophylline anhydrous included solubility and dissolution rate determinations. Techniques including X-ray powder diffraction, differential scanning colorimetry and infrared spectroscopy provided no evidence of true polymorphism after recrystallisation from various solvents. However, scanning electron micrographs showed the effects of solvent polarity and cooling rate on the size and shape of recrystallised particles. Theophylline granules were manufactured by using various binders and were film coated by fluidised bed technology with various proportions of ethylcellulose, containing varying amounts of PEG 1540. In vitro release rates were dependent upon coating thickness and the proportion of PEG, which, being water soluble, created pores in the coating during dissolution studies as observed by a scanning electron microscope. However, substantial proportions of the drug remained unreleased from the granules. In order to overcome the problems of drug retention, plain granules were used and theophylline mini-tablets (3 mm diameter, weighing 15 - 20 mg) were manufactured and film coated with various Eudragits ® and other polymeric mixtures (soluble and insoluble). In vitro dissolution profiles from samples enclosed in hard gelatin capsules were determined using the USPXXI paddle apparatus in test media at pH 1.2 (HCI), pH 5.4 and 7.4 (phosphate buffers) at 37'C. Monitoring of in vitro theophylline release over 12 h, under identical hydrodynamic conditions, showed that the dissolution rate at pH 1.2 is substantially greater (95% of total drug content released in < 10 h) than that in phosphate buffers. The maximum release after 12 h was approximately 20 and 30% of total drug content of the tablet at pH 5.4 and 7.4, respectively. However, in vivo bioavailability after oral administration of tablets to rabbits corresponded to over 95% of total drug, compared with the same dose administered intravenously. The retarded drug release during in vitro dissolution in phosphate buffer was attributed to a possible interaction of phosphate ions with theophylline molecules at the tablet core-coat interface. These findings indicate that both rate and extent of theophylline release from the slow release coated mini-tablets are highly sensitive to phosphate buffers. The data also emphasise the usefulness of an animal model for assessment of in vivo drug release and subsequent absorption during the development of modified release dosage forms. Mini-tablets were subjected to isothermal and cyclic stresses to reach conditions for up to 6 months at different temperatures and relative humidity. The film integrity was maintained but ageing of the coating occurred which impeded dissolution. Reduced drug release was temperature related while the effect of relative humidi% was insignific~t. Encapsulated mini-tablets (uncoated and coated with Eudragit RL and RS 2% w/w) equivalent to a 300 mg dose, were evaluated both in vitro and in vivo using beagle dogs. The pharmacokinetic parameters from single and multiple dose studies showed several advantages over Theo-Dur® 300 mg tablets. Precise dosage titration is possible by careful adjustment of the number of encapsulated mini-tablets. This multiple unit mini-tablet delivery system will allow for greater flexibility in dosage adjustment compared to the currently available preparations, allowing individualised fine dose titration in those patients requiring therapeutic drug monitoring. The developmentof the multiple unit mini-tablet formulation appears to provide an optimal dosage form with maximum flexibility in respect of dose, duration range and ease of production.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:rhodes/vital:3777 |
| Date | January 1991 |
| Creators | Munday, Dale Leslie |
| Publisher | Rhodes University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacy |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Doctoral, PhD |
| Format | 195 p., pdf |
| Rights | Munday, Dale Leslie |
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