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Based on characterization of a wide range of fillers and APIs, thirty divergent blends were composed and subsequently compressed on a rotary tablet press, varying paddle speed and turret speed. The tablet weight variability was determined of 20 grab samples consisting of each 20 tablets. Additionally, the bulk residence time, ejection force, pre-compression displacement, main compression force, die fill fraction and feed frame fill fraction were determined during each run. Multivariate data analysis was applied to investigate the relation between the process parameters, blend characteristics, product and process responses. Blends with metoprolol tartrate as API showed high ejection forces. This behavior could be linked to the high wall friction value of metoprolol tartrate. The main responses related to the die filling could be predicted via a PLS model based on blend characteristics. Tablet weight variability was highly correlated with the variability on pre-compression displacement and main compression force. A good predictive model for tablet weight variability was obtained taking the porosity, wall friction angle, flowability, density, compressibility and permeability into account. Additionally, turret speed and paddle speed were included in the calibration of the model. The applied approach can save resources (material, time) during early drug product development.

As the number of applications for polymers in pharmaceutical development is increasing, there is need for fundamental understanding on how such compounds behave during tableting. This research is focussed on the tableting behaviour of amorphous polymers, their solid dispersions and the impact of hot-melt extrusion on the compaction properties of these materials. Soluplus, Kollidon VA 64 and Eudragit EPO were selected as amorphous polymers since these are widely studied carriers for solid dispersions, while Celecoxib was chosen as BCS class II model drug. Neat polymers and physical mixtures (up to 35% drug load) were processed by hot-melt extrusion (HME), milled and sieved to obtain powders with comparable particle sizes as the neat polymer. A novel approach was used for in-line analysis of the compaction properties on a rotary tablet press (Modul P, GEA) using complementary sensors and software (CDAAS, GEA). By combining 'in-die' and 'out-of-die' techniques, it was possible to investigate in a comprehensive way the impact of HME on the tableting behaviour of amorphous polymers and their formulations. The formation of stable glassy solutions altered the formulations towards more fragmentary behaviour under compression which was beneficial for the tabletability.Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to summarize the behaviour during compaction of the formulations, enabling the selection of Soluplus and Kollidon VA 64 as the most favourable polymers for compaction of glassy solutions.

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The concept of twin-screw melt granulation (TSMG) has steadily (re)-gained interest in pharmaceutical formulation development as an intermediate step during tablet manufacturing. However, to be considered as a viable processing option for solid oral dosage forms there is a need to understand all critical sources of variability which could affect this granulation technique. The purpose of this study was to provide an in-depth analysis of the continuous TSMG process in order to expose the critical process parameters (CPP) and elucidate the impact of process and formulation parameters on the critical quality attributes (CQA) of granules and tablets during continuous TSMG. A first part of the study dealt with the screening of various amorphous polymers as binder for producing high-dosed melt granules of two model drug (i.e. acetaminophen and hydrochlorothiazide). The second part of this study described a quality-by-design (QbD) approach for melt granulation of hydrochlorothiazide in order to thoroughly evaluate TSMG, milling and tableting stage of the continuous TSMG line. Using amorphous polymeric binders resulted in melt granules with high milling efficiency due to their brittle behaviour without producing excessive amounts of fines, providing high granule yields with low friability. Therefore, it makes them extremely suitable for further downstream processing. One of the most important CPP during TSMG with polymeric binders was the granulation-torque, which - in case of polymers with high T - increased during longer granulation runs to critical levels endangering the continuous process flow. However, by optimizing both screw speed and throughput or changing to polymeric binders with lower T it was possible to significantly reduce this risk. This research paper highlighted that TSMG must be considered as a viable option during formulation development of solid oral dosage forms based on the robustness of the CQA of both melt granules and tablets.