Correlation between the permeability of metoprolol tartrate through plasticized isolated ethylcellulose/hydroxypropyl methylcellulose films and drug release from reservoir pellets

The present study investigates if drug diffusion through plasticized isolated ethylcellulose (EC)/hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) films prepared by solvent casting can be used as a tool to develop spray-coated dosage forms. In particular, the importance of the level and type of plasticizers was investigated. The permeability of the model drug metoprolol tartrate through plasticized isolated films could be adjusted by selecting the type and amount of plasticizer in the films due to the different hydrophilicity of the plasticizers. The release of metoprolol tartrate from coated pellets is consistent with the drug diffusion through the films made up of the same polymer blends. This indicated that it is useful to test isolated films for early predictions and for formulation optimization.