Imaging pharmaceutical tablets with optical coherence tomography

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical analysis
• Optical imaging technologies
• Materials characterization

Background:

• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an emerging non-destructive optical technique.
• OCT provides depth profiles of 3D objects by detecting refractive index variations.
• It utilizes near-infrared (NIR) light, bridging NIR spectroscopy and Terahertz (THz) measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the potential of OCT for analyzing pharmaceutical tablets and coatings.
• To assess OCT as a practical and reliable tool in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
• To explore the correlation between OCT image contrast and tablet structure.

Main Methods:

• Testing of various pharmaceutical tablets with diverse shapes, formulations, and coatings using OCT.
• Analysis of contrast origins in OCT images.
• Consideration of absorption and scattering effects at different NIR wavelengths.

Main Results:

• OCT images showed strong correlation between contrast and expected tablet structures.
• The technique demonstrated its capability to analyze different tablet types and coatings.
• Absorption and scattering influences were evaluated for the employed wavelength ranges.

Conclusions:

• OCT is a promising diagnostic tool for tablet and coating technologies.
• Its high speed and ease of implementation make it suitable for in-line quality control.
• OCT has a significant role to play in advancing pharmaceutical manufacturing processes.