Release control of HPC matrix tablets - influence of various fillers

Johanna Heyne – Student, University of Bonn; Edmont Stoyanov – Global Technical Director, Nisso Chemical Europe GmbH; Karl Wagner – Professor, University of Bonn

Introduction:

Although HPC is well established as a matrix forming extended release (ER) polymer, no detailed study on the addition of fillers and their influence on the drug release kinetics has been published. One key factor defining the drug release mechanism is the tablet composition (API, ER polymer and filler). In this study the influence of different molecular weight HPC (M FP, VH FP) and three fillers of different aqueous solubility (Lactose (Lac) = soluble, Dicalcium phosphate (Dic) = insoluble and Tricalcium citrate (Tcc) = slightly soluble) were evaluated in regard to the dissolution kinetic and influence on the diffusion/erosion mechanism on the drug release of the model API acyclovir.