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Biomedical subjects

C Vervaet

Publications and source records attributed to C Vervaet.

41 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Characterization and evaluation of isomalt performance in direct compression.

Isomalt is a sugar substitute with a wide range of potential pharmaceutical applications as a result of its physicochemical properties. Four grades of this material were evaluated for their physical characteristics. Only Palatinit(R) C and F exhibited potential characteristics for direct compression. As expected, the products required lubrification for tabletting. A level of 1% lubricant gave the best performance for Palatinit(R) C, the most compressible grade as shown by compaction profiles generated using a single-punch machine. However, its flow behaviour had to be improved by including 0.5% Aerosil(R) 200 as shown by tablet weight uniformity data. Further evaluation by Heckel analysis showed that isomalt exhibited plastic behaviour and underwent elastic recovery primary in the die. Its dilution potential was examined using powdered paracetamol. Acceptable tablets were produced up to 30% drug dilution, but the tensile strength values were reduced, disintegration time and friability increased as expected. Drug dissolution profiles showed a decreasing dissolution rate with the increase of compression force and drug concentration, but considerable improvement was noted when a disintegrant was included. The physical characteristics of the tablets were relatively stable after half a year storage at different humidities as a result of the low hygroscopicity of isomalt.

Cariogenic Agents↗

Pharmacokinetics of florfenicol after treatment of pigs with single oral or intramuscular doses or with medicated feed for three days.

The pharmacokinetics of florfenicol, a structural analogue of thiamphenicol, were studied in six pigs after single oral and intramuscular doses of 15 mg/kg bodyweight, and after feeding them with medicated feed containing 250 mg/kg for three days, a concentration which provided approximately the same dose rate of the drug. The oral doses contained a specially prepared pelleted formulation of the drug. The bioavailability of the drug was similar for the oral and intramuscular doses. Florfenicol was absorbed rapidly from the feed and its concentration in plasma remained between 2 and 6 microg/ml - above the minimum inhibitory concentration values for common pig pathogens - during the three days.

Administration, Oral↗

Drug-surfactant-propellant interactions in HFA-formulations.

The required replacement of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) with hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) propellants has challenged formulators of pressurized metered dose inhalers in several major respects. Conventional (CFC soluble) surfactants are effectively insoluble in the major CFC replacement candidates, HFA 134 and HFA 227ea, in the absence of co-solvents. While these ethane and propane derivatives have comparable boiling points and vapor pressures to dichlorodifluoromethane (CFC 12), their increased polarity demands that formulators use either alternative (soluble) surfactants, or co-solvents along with traditional surfactants, in order to stabilize pressurized suspension products. The use of either approach is complicated by the existence of many competing patents and the fact that the science in the area is empirical; predictive theoretical approaches are frustrated by the lack of an adequate database. Technical developments in this area must also take into account the need to avoid crystal growth and/or adhesion of micronized, suspended drugs to internal container surfaces, problems which may be catalyzed by some combinations of surfactant type/concentration, vehicle(s) and physical form/type(s) of drug substance. For some drugs, it appears simpler to use co-solvents with HFA propellants to dissolve the drug, avoiding the need for suspension stabilization. This article presents an overview of the present state of the art with respect to the formulation of MDIs.

Aerosols↗

Optimization of the processing of matrix pellets based on the combination of waxes and starch using experimental design.

An experimental design was used in order to optimize the one-step production process of matrix pellets based on the combination of waxes and starch. The parameters tested were the impeller speed (x1) and the mixing time (x2). Ibuprofen and theophylline were used as model drugs at a concentration of 60 and 70% (w/w), respectively. The 0.8-1.25 mm yield fraction of the matrix pellets was evaluated as the response factor Y. A quadratic equation was fitted to the experimental data and used to predict the response factor Y of the theophylline and the ibuprofen. The contour plots of both formulations revealed a flat and therefore rugged region from the upper left to the lower right of the domain investigated. The energy input into the system during the production process controlled the pellet growth, the impeller speed having a greater impact on the energy input compared to the mixing time.

Delayed-Action Preparations↗