Rational formulation design through retrospective machine learning methodology: Case study ibuprofen

The presented work investigates critical aspects of rational formulation design through machine learning (ML) methodology to identify essential patterns in immediate release ibuprofen oral dosage products influencing its pharmacokinetic profile. Registry data were extracted and standardized into a consistent format using pandas (v1.3.5) in Python 3.9, with special attention to variant nomenclature for identical excipients. Patterns regarding the usage of dissolution-modifying excipients as well as ibuprofen variants were used to investigate their influence on clinical pharmacokinetic profile. Film coated tablets emerged as the most common immediate release dosage form of ibuprofen utilizing ibuprofen acid as the active ingredient and sodium lauryl sulfate as surfactant/wetting agent. Ibuprofen special variants, such as ibuprofen sodium dihydrate, ibuprofen lysine and ibuprofen arginine, offer more rapid drug release and onset with significantly reduced tmax and increased Cmax as well as generally lower bioavailability variance compared to standard immediate release ibuprofen oral dosage forms. The approaches presented in this article will be helpful in better understanding of rational formulation strategies and support regulatory scientific decisions ensuring predictable bioavailability and reproducible clinical responses.