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A quality by design approach to understand formulation and process variability in pharmaceutical melt extrusion
Ketaki Patwardhan1, Firouz Asgarzadeh, Thomas Dassinger
1Department of Pharmaceutics & Drug Delivery, The University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA.
Quality by Design (QbD) principles were applied to pharmaceutical melt extrusion. Optimized ibuprofen formulations achieved ideal drug loading (40-48%) and extrusion temperatures (90-130°C).
Area of Science:
- Pharmaceutical Technology
- Process Engineering
Background:
- Melt extrusion is a key process for pharmaceutical formulations.
- Quality by Design (QbD) principles enhance process understanding and control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To apply Quality by Design (QbD) principles to a pharmaceutical melt extrusion process.
- To develop an immediate-release formulation using ibuprofen as a model drug.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Fishbone diagram and Failure Mode Effect Analysis for risk assessment.
- Employed Plackett-Burman and response surface designs to identify critical parameters.
- Evaluated critical quality attributes (CQAs) including torque, glass transition temperature, assay, dissolution, and phase change.
Main Results:
- Established experimental limits for optimal processing parameters.
- Developed a design space plot defining the operational domain for consistent CQAs.
- Identified optimal drug loading (40-48% w/w) and extrusion temperature (90-130°C).
Conclusions:
- Demonstrated a comprehensive QbD-based approach for melt extrusion product development.
- Successfully optimized an immediate-release ibuprofen formulation.
- Provided a framework for robust pharmaceutical manufacturing using QbD.
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