Impact of Compaction Parameters and Techniques on MUPS Tablets

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical technology
• Materials science

Background:

• Compaction of sustained release coated pellets into tablets can compromise functional coat integrity and drug release.
• Limited understanding exists regarding the impact of precompression, trilayering, and tableting rate on sustained release coated pellet compaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of precompression, trilayering, and tableting rate on the compaction of sustained release coated pellets into multi-unit pellet system (MUPS) tablets.
• To enhance the understanding of factors influencing MUPS tablet quality during compaction.

Main Methods:

• Pellets coated with acrylic polymer (AC) or ethylcellulose (EC) were compacted into MUPS tablets.
• Varied levels of precompression, trilayering (using cushioning layers), and tableting rates were applied.
• Physical properties of the resulting MUPS tablets were evaluated, including pellet coat damage and tablet tensile strength.

Main Results:

• Precompression slightly increased tablet strength for EC pellets and reduced coat damage for AC pellets.
• Trilayering significantly reduced pellet coat damage and increased tablet tensile strength.
• Lubrication with sodium stearyl fumarate lowered EC pellet coat damage; higher tableting rates yielded weaker tablets due to shorter dwell times.

Conclusions:

• Trilayering is an effective technique to mitigate pellet coat damage and improve MUPS tablet strength.
• Compaction parameters like precompression and tableting rate influence MUPS tablet properties, necessitating careful optimization for desired drug release profiles.