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Research Article

Development of multiple-unit pellet system tablets by employing the SeDeM expert diagram system II: pellets containing different active pharmaceutical ingredients

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Pages 145-156 | Received 09 Jul 2017, Accepted 25 Jan 2018, Published online: 27 Feb 2018
 

Abstract

The SeDeM Expert Diagram System (SeDeM EDS) was originally developed to provide information about the suitability of powders to produce direct compressible tablets. Multiple-unit pellet systems (MUPS) are dosage forms consisting of pellets compressed into tablets or loaded into hard gelatin capsules. The aim of this study was to apply the SeDeM EDS to different size pellets (i.e. 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 mm) containing different APIs (i.e. doxylamine, ibuprofen or paracetamol) to determine which properties should be corrected to yield MUPS tablet formulations. The SeDeM parameter tests were conducted on the pellets, selected excipients, intermediate blends, and final blends. The study showed that the properties of the pellets depended on the active ingredient and pellet size. The SeDeM compressibility indices indicated that the final pellet blends should be suitable for compression into MUPS tablets. MUPS tablets were prepared from the final blends and evaluated in terms of physico-chemical properties and dissolution profiles. Only three of the MUPS tablet formulations containing ibuprofen and one MUPS tablet formulation containing paracetamol failed content uniformity. The water solubility of the APIs as well as the pellet size (surface area exposed to the dissolution medium) attributed to the difference in drug dissolution rate.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no declarations of interest.

Any opinion, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and therefore the NRF do not accept any liability with regard thereto.

Additional information

Funding

This work was carried out with the financial support of the National Research Foundation of South Africa.

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