Spray Drying is an established processing technology for the pharmaceutical industry. By co-precipitating API with a polymer in a stable amorphous solid dispersion, spray-drying improves dissolution rates and enhances the bioavailability of poorly soluble compounds. Additionally, for high dose drugs, spray-drying enables reduced tablet size by improving compression properties of drug powders.
In a related technique drug and a polymer can be sprayed together onto a bead support to form an amorphous drug/polymer layer on the bead using fluid-bed coating techniques. This will provide solubility enhancement and particles that are easily formulated in a capsule format.
Spray Drying Benefits
- Enhanced bioavailability of poorly soluble compounds
- Provides a physically stable drug form that enables processing of the dispersion into solid dosage forms
- Improved therapeutic efficacy, safety, tolerability and/or patient compliance
- Lowering dosage costs
- Extending product life cycle
- Achieve higher drug loading
- Preparation of directly compressible powder
Spray Drying Advantages
A widely used processing technology, spray-drying offers a number of advantages over conventional multi-step processes and particle reduction technologies:
- Creation of an amorphous solid dispersion
- Ability to tailor-make particle properties – from very fine particles to agglomerated powders
- Fast and continuous process
- Suitable for heat-sensitive products
- Processing of aqueous and organic solvent systems
- Predictable scale-up
- Encapsulation – enabling taste masking or controlled release dosage forms
- Improved solubility without physical milling
Spray Drying Expertise
At Formex, we combine our expertise in formulation and process development with our capabilities in spray-drying to overcome some of the most difficult product development challenges. From analytical characterization to pilot scale manufacturing, Formex offers a comprehensive package of spray-drying capabilities to move your compound from discovery to the clinic:
- Analytical Characterization
- Feasibility Studies
- Formulation/Process Development and Optimization
- Scale-up
- cGMP Clinical Supply Manufacturing
- Formex Spray-Drying Processing Equipment
Spray Drying Processing Equipment
- Anhydro MS-35: Powder output ranging from 1 to 500 g/hour (dependent on API, solvent & particle size)