Effect of a melt agglomeration process on agglomerates containing solid dispersions

The purpose was to produce solid dispersions of a poorly water-soluble drug, Lu-X, by melt agglomeration in a laboratory scale rotary processor. The effect of binder type and method of manufacturing on the dissolution profile of Lu-X was investigated. Lactose monohydrate and Lu-X were melt agglomerated with Rylo MG12, Gelucire 50/13, PEG 3000, or poloxamer 188. Either a mixture of binder, drug, and excipient was heated to a temperature above the melting point of the binder (melt-in procedure) or a dispersion of drug in molten binder was sprayed on the heated excipient (spray-on procedure). The agglomerates were characterized by DSC, XRPD, SEM, and EDX-SEM. The study showed that the agglomerates containing solid dispersions had improved dissolution rates compared to physical mixtures and pure drug. The melt-in procedure gave a higher dissolution rate than the spray-on procedure with PEG 3000, poloxamer 188, and Gelucire 50/13, whereas the opposite was found with Rylo MG12. This was explained by differences in mechanisms of agglomerate formation and growth, which were dominated by immersion with PEG 3000, poloxamer 188, and Gelucire 50/13, and by distribution and coalescence with Rylo MG12. The spray-on procedure resulted in a higher content of Lu-X in the core of the agglomerates when immersion was the dominating mechanism, and in a higher content in the agglomerate surface when distribution was dominating. The melt-in procedure resulted generally in a homogeneous distribution of Lu-X in the agglomerates. The compounds in the agglomerates were found primarily to be crystalline, and the dissolution profiles were unchanged after 12 weeks storage at 25 °C at 50% RH.