Dissolution rates of hydrocortisone and prednisone utilizing sugar solid dispersion systems in tablet form

The utilization of ternary sugar solid dispersion systems and the incorporation of these systems into tablet dosage forms were investigated. The dispersion systems were prepared by the fusion method using 50% sucrose-50% mannitol and 50% sorbitol-50% mannitol. Other systems investigated utilized sorbitol, mannitol, and polyethylene glycol 6000 for comparison. The drug component was hydrocortisone or prednisone. The results from a modified NF XIII dissolution rate determination revealed that the mannitol system had the fastest dissolution rate, followed by sorbitol-mannitol, sucrose-mannitol, sorbitol, and finally, polyethylene gylcol 6000. The corticosteroids were stable and did not decompose during preparation of the dispersion systems or direct compression of the tablets. A short-term stability study revealed that the tablets retained their fast dissolution rates and that the tablet characteristic tests, i.e., tablet hardness, remained unchanged. The use of sugar combinations overcame some difficulties previously reported with single sugar systems.