Sorbitol Instant an Excipient with Unique Tableting Properties

Abstract

The manifold tableting applications of sorbitol instant - a special type of spray-dried sorbitol - are described and numerous examples of tablet formulations are given. It is shown that the unique tableting properties of sorbitol instant chiefly result from its crystalline structure, which consists of very loosely-packed, randomly oriented, interwoven filamentary crystals. Due to the large compressibility of sorbitol instant, tablet formulations for low-dose as well as for high-dose drugs are relatively simple. Even though tablet disintegration is slower compared to standard formulations based on lactose, drug dissolution can be optimized in most cases by the proper selection of the disintegrant. Compared to crystalline sorbitol, sorbitol instant is a more universal tablet binder.

Sorbitol instant is an example showing that the tableting characteristics of a chemical substance can be improved by adequately altering its physical and mechanical properties.