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Novel Thermal Imaging Method for Rapid Screening of Drug-Polymer Miscibility for Solid Dispersion Based Formulation
Muqdad Alhijjaj1,2, Peter Belton3, László Fábián1
1School of Pharmacy , University of East Anglia , Norwich , Norfolk NR4 7TJ , U.K.
Molecular Pharmaceutics
|October 30, 2018
Summary
A new thermal imaging method, Thermal Analysis by Structural Characterization (TASC), rapidly screens polymers for drug miscibility in pharmaceutical formulations. This faster, material-efficient technique aids early-stage selection of optimal polymeric excipients for solid dispersions.
Area of Science:
- Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Materials Science
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Selecting appropriate polymers is crucial for developing stable solid dispersion pharmaceutical products.
- Early-stage screening of polymer-drug miscibility reduces formulation development time and cost.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a rapid, simple, and inexpensive method for screening polymer-drug miscibility.
- To evaluate Thermal Analysis by Structural Characterization (TASC) as a thermoptometric tool for this purpose.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Thermal Analysis by Structural Characterization (TASC) with thermal imaging and data analysis software.
- Screened felodipine particles over thin films of ten common pharmaceutical polymers.
- Detected melting point depression and post-melting dissolution as indicators of miscibility.
Main Results:
- TASC identified varying degrees of polymer-drug miscibility through melting point depression.
- TASC screening was 20-40 times faster than conventional Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) with comparable sensitivity.
- Material consumption was reduced by over 1000-fold compared to DSC.
Conclusions:
- TASC is a highly efficient and sensitive method for assessing polymer-drug miscibility.
- This technique significantly accelerates the selection of polymeric excipients for solid dispersion formulations.
- TASC offers a promising, cost-effective solution for early-stage pharmaceutical development.
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