A model for the drug release from a polymer matrix tablet--effects of swelling and dissolution

A model for simulating the drug release from a swelling and dissolving polymer tablet is presented and verified to data. The model is based on a mechanistic approach, and it can therefore be employed to study the sensitivity of true physical constants, for instance the drug diffusion coefficient or the drug solubility. The model generates the drug and polymer release profiles and the front positions of the total tablet, the solid core, and of the solid-drug-solubilized-drug interface. The convective contribution to mass transfer is shown to be of great importance. This is most markedly noticed for slowly diffusing drugs. In a simulation with a low value of the drug diffusion coefficient, it is shown that the initial drug release rate is faster than the polymer dissolution rate, followed by a second stage with a slower drug release rate. Furthermore, it is shown that polymer dissolution influences the drug release profile significantly, but not the front position of saturated drug in the gel layer. The model is verified against drug release and polymer dissolution data for the slightly soluble drug Methyl paraben and the soluble drug Saligenin in a poly (ethylene oxide) tablet, resulting in good agreement between model and experiments.