Pharmaceutical excipient having improved compressibility
First Claim
1. An aqueous slurry useful in the preparation of a compressible pharmaceutical excipient, comprising a mixture of microcrystalline cellulose and from about 0.1% to about 20% by weight silicon dioxide based on the weight of said microcrystalline cellulose, said silicon dioxide having an average primary particle size from about 1 nm to about 100 μ
- m, the solids content of said aqueous slurry being from about 0.5% to about 25% by weight.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A microcrystalline cellulose-based excipient having improved compressibility, whether utilized in direct compression, dry granulation or wet granulation formulations, is disclosed. The excipient is an agglomerate of microcrystalline cellulose particles and from about 0.1% to about 20% silicon dioxide particles, by weight of the microcrystalline cellulose, wherein the microcrystalline cellulose and silicon dioxide are in intimate association with each other. The silicon dioxide utilized in the novel excipient has a particle size from about 1 nanometer to about 100 microns. Most preferably, the silicon dioxide is a grade of colloidal silicon dioxide.
85 Citations
21 Claims
-
1. An aqueous slurry useful in the preparation of a compressible pharmaceutical excipient, comprising a mixture of microcrystalline cellulose and from about 0.1% to about 20% by weight silicon dioxide based on the weight of said microcrystalline cellulose, said silicon dioxide having an average primary particle size from about 1 nm to about 100 μ
- m, the solids content of said aqueous slurry being from about 0.5% to about 25% by weight.
-
2. A solid dosage form of a compressed mixture of from about 1% to about 99% of an excipient comprising a particulate agglomerate of coprocessed microcrystalline cellulose and from about 0.1% to about 20% by weight silicon dioxide, the microcrystalline cellulose and silicon dioxide being in intimate association with each other, said silicon dioxide portion of said agglomerate being derived from a silicon dioxide having an average primary particle size from about 1 nm to about 100 μ
- m, and from about 99% to about 1% of a therapeutically active ingredient.
- View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
-
7. A method of enhancing the compressibility of microcrystalline cellulose in wet granulation products, comprising:
-
(a) forming an aqueous slurry containing a mixture of microcrystalline cellulose and silicon dioxide having an average primary particle size from about 1 nm to about 100 μ
m, the amount of silicon dioxide being from about 0.1% to about 20% relative to the amount of microcrystalline cellulose, by weight; and(b) drying said slurry to obtain an excipient comprising a plurality of agglomerated particles of said microcrystalline cellulose in intimate association with said silicon dioxide.
-
Specification