Tablets Made from Paper-An Industrially Feasible Approach

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Technology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Poor drug solubility limits oral bioavailability.
• SmartFilm technology enhances solubility but faces challenges in flowability and swallowability.
• Mechanical properties of paper-based smartFilms under compression are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a flowable form of unloaded smartFilms (paper).
• To investigate the mechanical behavior of compressed paper granules.
• To optimize the use of sucrose as a binder for paper granules and tablets.

Main Methods:

• Wet granulation was used to prepare paper granules.
• Sucrose (different forms and amounts) was evaluated as a binder.
• Instrumented die experiments determined mechanical properties (Poisson's ratio, Young's modulus).
• Heckel model analyzed deformation behavior during compression.

Main Results:

• All granule batches exhibited good flowability (angle of repose 25-35°).
• Tablets from granules with ≤30% dry sucrose met European Pharmacopeia requirements.
• Paper granules demonstrated compaction behavior comparable to conventional excipients.

Conclusions:

• Paper can be successfully processed into flowable granules.
• These granules are suitable intermediate products for industrial-scale tablet manufacturing.
• This approach offers a promising way to overcome smartFilm limitations for oral drug administration.