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P 14 September 2015 Tablets & Capsules tabletting Assessing the performance of a co-processed HPMC-lactose excipient using an instrumented tablet press Muralikrishnan Angamuthu and Swetha Ainampudi University of Mississippi John Sturgis Jr. SMI This article describes a study that assessed the performance of a lactose-HPMC co-processed excipient in the manufacture of modi- fied-release tablets using a direct-compression blend and an instru- mented tablet press. Ibuprofen was used as the model API. harmaceutical developers have long recognized that direct compression (DC) is the simplest and thus preferred method of manufacturing tablets. Figure 1 compares the number of processing steps required of three different methods of preparing powders for tabletting: wet granula- tion (batch process), dry granulation (semi-continuous), and DC (continuous process). The wet granulation technique entails the most steps, but few of them are potential sources of variability. Using dry granulation to improve a formulation's processability is simpler—it uses a roller compactor instead of a wet granula- tor—but compressing the raw materials before they reach the press usually reduces the formulation's compressibility. DC, however, is regarded as an ideal continuous process that has fewer steps that are prone to variability. Despite the low number of processing steps DC formu- lations require, they are still a challenge. To make robust tablets, the formulations must include excipients with excellent functional properties, such as good flowability, dilution potential, compressibility, and compactibility. In