Pharmaceutical formulation

• US 20030049311A1
• Filed: 01/30/2002
• Published: 03/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Capsugel Belgium NV (Lonza Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Capsugel Belgium NV (Lonza Group AG)
• Inventors: Brown, Adrian, Raby, Ronald K. Jr., McAllister, Stephen Mark, Clarke, Allan J.
• Application Number:
  US10/060,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20030049311A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 424/452
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/4808 characterised by the form of the capsule or the structure of the filling; Capsules containing small tablets; Capsules with outer layer for immediate drug release capsules filled with granules or microparticles A61K9/16; filled with microcapsules or coated microparticles A61K9/50; with mixture of different granules, microcapsules, (coated) microparticles A61K9/5084
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/4816 Wall or shell material
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 43/00 Drugs for specific purposes, not provided for in groups A61P1/00-A61P41/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/30 Against vector-borne diseases, e.g. mosquito-borne, fly-borne, tick-borne or waterborne diseases whose impact is exacerbated by climate change

Abstract

The present invention is directed to pharmaceutically acceptable polymeric compositions suitable for injection molding of single or multi-component pharmaceutical dosage forms comprising a plurality of drug substance containing sub-units, being capsule compartments and/or solid sub-units comprising a solid matrix of a polymer which contains a drug substance, the sub-units being connected together in the assembled dosage form by a weld between parts of the assembled dosage form.

Claims

1. A pharmaceutical composition for moulded capsules comprising Eudragit E100 present in an amount of 30 to 90% w/w, a lubricant from 0 to about 30% w/w, a dissolution modifying excipient from about 5 to 70% w/w, and optionally a plasticizer from about 0 to 5% w/w and/or a processing agent from about 0 to about 10% w/w.

2. The composition according to claim 1 wherein the Eudragit E100 is present in an amount of 50 to 90% w/w.

3. The composition according to claim 1 wherein the lubricant is the lubricant is stearyl alcohol, glycerol monosterate (GMS), talc, magnesium stearate, silicon dioxide, amorphous silicic acid, or fumed silica;

and combinations or mixtures thereof.

4. The composition according to claim 3 wherein the lubricant is stearyl alcohol or glycerol monosterate.

5. The composition according to claim 4 wherein the lubricant is present in an amount of about 5 to 15% w/w.

6. The composition according to claim 5 the lubricant is stearyl alcohol and is present in an amount of about 10 to 12% w/w.

7. The composition according to claim 1 wherein the dissolution modifying excipient is poly(ethylene) oxide, stearic acid, ethyl cellulose, cellulose acetate phthalate, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC), lactose, Starch 1500, croscarmellose sodium, copovidone, or crospovidone (cross-linked polyvinyl pyrrolidone);

and combinations or mixtures thereof.

8. The composition according to claim 7 wherein the dissolution modifying excipient is polyethylene oxide, lactose, HPMC or copovidone;

or combinations or mixtures thereof.

9. The composition according to claim 8 wherein the dissolution modifying agent is polyethylene oxide present in an amount of about 5 to 30% w/w.

10. The composition according to claim 9 wherein the polyethylene oxide present in an amount of about 10 to 20% w/w.

11. The composition according to claim 8 which is a combination of polyethylene oxide, and at least one of lactose, HPMC, or copovidone.

12. The composition according to claim 11 which is a combination of polyethylene oxide and copovidone.

13. The composition according to claim 12 wherein the polyethyleneoxide is present in an amount of about 10 to 20% w/w, and the copovidone is present in an amount of 5 to 35% w/w.

14. The composition according to claim 1 wherein the plasticizer is triethyl citrate (TEC), tributyl citrate, acetyl triethyl citrate (ATEC), acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC), dibutyl phthalate, dibutyl sebacate (DBS), diethyl phthalate, vinyl pyrrolidone glycol triacetate, polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate, propylene glycol, or castor oil;

and combinations or mixtures thereof.

15. The composition according to claim 1 wherein the processing agent is talc.

16. The composition according to claim 15 wherein the talc is present in an amount of 5 to 10% w/w.

17. The composition according to claim 7 wherein the processing agent is talc present in an amount of 5 to 10% w/w, and the lubricant is stearyl alcohol present in an amount of 10 to 12% w/w.

18. The composition according to claim 1 which further comprises a surfactant.

19. The composition according to claim 18 wherein the surfactant is a block copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, lecithin, sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate, sodium lauryl sulfate, hydrogenated castor oil, polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid esters, the sorbitan fatty acid esters, polyethylene glycol, glyceryl monostearate, d-alpha-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate, sucrose fatty acid esters;

and combinations and mixtures thereof.

20. The composition according to claim 19 wherein the surfactant is a block copolymer of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide.

21. The composition according to claim 19 wherein the surfactant is present in an amount of about 0.25 to 5% w/w.

22. The composition according to claim 1 which is:

23. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 1 which is:

24. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 1 which further comprises a second co-polymer which is Eudragit RL 100 or Eudragit RS 100.

25. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 24 which is:

26. An injection molded capsule shell, linker or spacer having a composition according to claim 1.

27. A multicomponent injection molded capsule shell, linker or spacer having a composition according to claim 1.

28. A welded multicomponent injection molded capsule shell, linker or spacer having a composition according to claim 1.

29. A multi-component pharmaceutical dosage form which comprises a plurality of sub-units, each sub-unit being selected from

a) a drug substance-containing capsule compartment which is soluble or disintegrable in a patient'"'"'s gastrointestinal environment for release of the drug substance contained in the capsule compartment, and

b) a solid matrix comprising a polymer and containing a drug substance, the polymer being soluble, dispersible or disintegrable in a patient'"'"'s gastro-intestinal environment for release of the drug substance contained in the solid matrix, and in which, at least prior to administration to a patient, the sub-units are welded together in an assembled dosage form.

30. A multi-component pharmaceutical dosage form according to claim 29, in which at least one of the sub-units is a solid matrix comprising Eudragit E100 present in an amount of about 50 to 90% w/w, and a dissolution-modifying excipient present in an amount of about 10 to about 30% w/w.

31. A multi-component pharmaceutical dosage form according to claim 30, in which the solid matrix also comprises a lubricant present in an amount up to about 15% w/w.

32. A multi-component pharmaceutical dosage form according to claim 31, in which the lubricant is stearyl alcohol and/or glyceryl monosterate.

33. A multi-component pharmaceutical dosage form according to claim 30 in which the solid matrix also comprises a processing agent present in an amount up to about 10% w/w.

34. A multi-component pharmaceutical dosage form according to claim 33 in which the processing agent is talc.

35. A multi-component pharmaceutical dosage form according to claim 30, in which the dissolution-modifying excipient is polyethyleneoxide.

36. A multi-component pharmaceutical dosage form according to claim 30, in which the dissolution-modifying excipient is a combination of polyethyleneoxide and talc, Starch 1500, lactose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, and/or co-povidone.

37. A multi-component pharmaceutical dosage form according to claim 36, in which the lubricant is stearyl alcohol.

38. A dosage form according to claim 29, comprising plurality of drug substance-containing capsule compartments, each compartment being physically separated from at least one adjacent compartment by a wall made of a pharmaceutically acceptable polymer material.

39. A multi-component pharmaceutical dosage form according to claim 38, in which the wall comprises Eudragit 4135F present in an amount of about 30 to 90% w/w, and a disolution-modifying excipient present in an amount of about 10 to about 30% w/w.

40. A multi-component pharmaceutical dosage form according to claim 39, in which the wall also comprises a lubricant present in an amount up to about 15% w/w.

41. A multi-component pharmaceutical dosage form according to claim 39, in which the wall also comprises a plasticizer present in an amount up to about 10% w/w.

42. A multi-component pharmaceutical dosage form according to claim 39, in which the wall also comprises a processing agent present in an amount up to about 10% w/w.

43. A dosage form according to claim 29, in which at least one of the sub-units is a drug substance-containing capsule compartment having a wall with a thickness in the range of about 0.3-0.8 mm.

44. A dosage form according to claim 29, in which at least one of the sub-units is a substantially immediate release sub-unit.

45. A dosage form according to claim 29, in which at least one of the sub-units is a sustained release or pulsed release sub-unit.

46. A set of multi-component dosage forms, each comprising a plurality of sub-units each sub-unit being selected from:

a) a drug substance-containing capsule compartment which is soluble or disintegrable in a patient'"'"'s gastro-intestinal environment for release of the drug substance contained in the capsule compartment, and

b) a solid matrix comprising a polymer and containing a drug substance, the polymer being soluble, dispersible or disintegrable in a patient'"'"'s gastro-intestinal environment for release of the drug substance contained in the solid matrix, in which at least one of the dosage forms of the set comprises at least one said drug substance-containing capsule compartment and at least one other dosage form of the set comprises at least one said solid matrix, and

in which the drug substance-containing capsule compartment of said at least one of the dosage forms is interchangeable with said solid matrix of said at least one other dosage form, and

in which at least prior to administration to a patient, the sub-units of each dosage form are welded together to provide an assembled dosage form.

47. A process for making a pharmaceutical dosage form comprising the steps of:

a) introducing Eudragit E100 and an excipient composition simultaneously, and at substantially the same location, into an elongated hot melt extruder;

b) mixing said Eudragit E100 and said excipient composition in the hot melt extruder to form a homogeneous composition therein and ejecting the homogeneous composition in the form of a strand from the hot melt extruder though a die at a location remote from said same location at which the Eudragit E100 and said excipient composition are introduced;

c) cutting the strand into pellets;

d) introducing said pellets into an injection molder and forming thin-walled capsule compartments from said pellets by injection molding.

48. The process according to claim 47, in which the excipient composition comprises a dissolution modifying excipient.

49. The process according to claim 47, in which the excipient composition comprises polyethylene oxide.

50. The process according to claim 47, in which the excipient composition comprises a lubricant.

51. The process according to claim 47, in which the hot melt extruder is maintained at a temperature not exceeding approximately 125°

C.

52. The process according to claim 47, in which the hot melt extruder is maintained at a temperature not lower than the Eudragit E100 and said excipient composition melting points.

53. The process according to claim 47, in which the temperature in the hot melt extruder gradually increases along the length of the hot melt extruder, from said same location at which the Eudragit E100 and an excipient composition are introduced, to the die, the maximum temperature not exceeding approximately 125°

C.

54. The process according to claim 47, in which the hot melt extruder comprises an elongated barrel having first and second opposite ends, and twin screws within the barrel for propelling Eudragit E100 and said excipient composition along the length of the interior of the barrel, said substantially same location at which the Eudragit E100 and said excipient composition are introduced is located adjacent the first end of the barrel, and said die is located adjacent the second end of the barrel.

55. The process according to claim 47, in which the injection molding of the thin-walled capsule compartments is carried using an injection molder having a barrel and a nozzle, while maintaining the injection molder barrel at a temperature in the range of about 110°

C. to 130°

C.

56. The process according to claim 47, in which the injection molding of the thin-walled capsule compartments is carried using an injection molder having a barrel and a nozzle, while maintaining the injection molder nozzle at a temperature in the range of about 130°

C. to 150°

C.

57. The process according to claim 47, in which the injection molding of the thin-walled capsule compartments is carried using an injection molder having a barrel and a nozzle, while maintaining the injection molder nozzle at a temperature of about 140°

C.

58. The process according to claim 47, in which the injection molding of the thin-walled capsule compartments is carried using an injection molder having a barrel and a nozzle, while maintaining the injection molder barrel at a temperature in the range of about 110°

C. to 130°

C. and maintaining the injection molder nozzle at a temperature in the range of about 130°

C. to 150°

C.

59. The process according to claim 47 wherein the pharmaceutical dosage forms are assembled using said capsule compartments as components of said dosage forms.

60. The process according to claim 59 wherein the said capsule compartments of the assembled dosage form are connected together by at least one weld where adjacent parts of said components are in contact.

61. The process according to claim 60 wherein the weld is produced by a thermal weld, an ultrasonic weld, an inductive weld, or an adhesive weld.

62. A molded pharmaceutical capsule component defined by a generally frusto-conical side wall, a dome-shaped end wall situated at, and connected to, one end of the side wall, and an annular rim portion disposed at an opposite end of the side wall, the side wall, the dome, and the annular rim portion together forming a hollow receptacle having an interior and an exterior, and an open end opposite said dome-shaped end wall, the side wall being composed of a plurality of panels each having a thickness in the range of about 0.2 to 0.3 mm, and reinforcing ribs integrally molded with the panels, each panel being situated between a pair of said reinforcing ribs.

63. A molded pharmaceutical capsule component in accordance with claim 62, in which the reinforcing ribs are formed on the exterior of the hollow receptacle.

64. A molded pharmaceutical capsule component in accordance with claim 62, in which the reinforcing ribs extend over at least a part of the dome-shaped end wall.

65. A molded pharmaceutical capsule component in accordance with claim 62, in which dome-shaped end wall has a centrally located peak, and in which the reinforcing ribs extend toward said peak over at least a part of the dome-shaped end wall, and gradually decrease in thickness as they approach the peak.

66. A molded pharmaceutical capsule component in accordance with claim 62, in which the annular rim portion extends radially outwardly beyond the panels, and in which the reinforcing ribs have ends which meet, and are connected to, the annular rim portion.

67. A molded pharmaceutical capsule component in accordance with claim 62, in which the annular rim portion extends radially outwardly beyond the panels, and in which the reinforcing ribs have ends which meet, and are connected to, the annular rim portion, the thickness of the ribs at said ends being substantially equal to the distance through which the annular rim portion extends outwardly beyond the panels, whereby the ribs merge smoothly with the rim portion.

68. A molded pharmaceutical capsule component in accordance with claim 62, in which the annular rim portion extends radially outwardly beyond the panels and comprises a tapered frusto-conical exterior surface, and in which the reinforcing ribs have ends which meet, and are connected to, the tapered frusto-conical surface of the annular rim portion, the thickness of the ribs at said ends being substantially equal to the distance through which the annular rim portion extends outwardly beyond the panels, whereby the ribs merge smoothly with the rim portion.