Preyuda pharmaceutical are proud to present the first of its kind oral formulation of drugs made by using the pellet technology. This technology was incepted in 1950s but its usage was next to nil until recently it has become the dominating oral drug delivery system in the Pharma world because of its sheer advantages which remains unmatched from its competitors. It has brought a revolution in this industry and it wouldn’t be a surprise if all the other pharmaceutical companies get their hands on it and start manufacturing them as a primary form of oral formulations.
What are pellets?
Pellets are described to be produced systematically, as geometrically defined agglomerate obtained from diverse starting materials using different processing conditions. They are free-flowing, spherical or semi-spherical solid units with a size range of about 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm and that are intended mostly for oral administration.
How are they manufactured?
Pelletized dosage forms can be prepared by a number of techniques, including drug layering on nonpareil sugar or microcrystalline cellulose beads, spray drying, spray congealing, roto granulation, hot-melt extrusion, and spheronization of low melting materials or extrusion-spheronization of a wet mass.
Evaluation of pellets is done by their size distribution, sieving method, pellet shape, surface morphology, roughness, hardness and friability, density, disintegration time and through some mechanical tests.
What are their chemical properties?
1. Immediate release: Administering drugs in pellet form leads to an increased surface area as compared to traditional compressed tablets and capsules which would considerably reduce the disintegration time and have the potential for use in rapidly dispersible tablets.
2. Sustained release: The pellet form provides a smoother absorption profile from the gastrointestinal tract as the beads pass gradually through the stomach into the small intestine at a steady rate. Pellets are being increasingly used in the manufacture of sustained release dosage form of drugs. The advantages of the dosage form is well known
3. Chemically Incompatible Products: At times such ingredients are required to be delivered in a single dose. In the compressed tablet dosage form separate tablets would have to be administered,
but the pellets can be administered in a single capsule.
4. Varying dosage without reformulation: Pellets have excellent flow properties, due to this, they can be conveniently used for filling capsules and the manufacturer can vary the dosage by varying the capsule.
Why prefer pellets as oral drug delivery system?
• Pelletization offers flexibility into the dosage form design and development.
• Pellets improve the flow properties in formulation development. They flow freely and are easy to pack without significant difficulties (resulting in uniform and reproducible fill weight of capsules).
• Pellets are less susceptible to dose dumping.
• It reduces accumulation of drugs especially proven advantageous in the case of irritating drugs.
• It improves safety and efficacy of a drug.
• Pelletization is a convenient way to manage the separation of incompatible drugs.
• Pellets offer reduced variation in gastric emptying rate and intestinal transit time.
• Pellets disperse freely in G.I.T. and invariably maximize drug absorption and also reduce peak plasma fluctuation.
• Pelletization solves the problem of taste masking.
• Improved appearance of the product which is having fine pharmaceutical elegance.
• In case of immediate Release Products larger surface area of pellets enables better distribution.
The most important reason for the wide acceptance of multiple unit products is the rapid increase in popularity of oral pellets dosage forms, Pellets oral solid dosage forms are usually intended either for delivery of the drug at a specific site within the gastrointestinal tract or to sustain the action of drugs over an extended period of time.
Conclusion:
They are considered as a most promising drug delivery system today which is catching up with the pace of speed to have a high existence in the Pharma world. This system is gaining more popularity because of their easy portability improved patience compliance and ease of administration and flexibility in the fabrication as tablets or capsules or packed simply as a single dose packlets. They can be applied by both oral and buccal routes. This technology is growing in fast pace challenging most of the pharmaceuticals companies to develop pelletized dosage forms for wide range of active pharmaceuticals ingredients.