Tech Talks - Mastering flow and finding solutions to common tableting challenges

Welcome to Tech Talks, our troubleshooting series where IMCD Pharmaceuticals’ Global Content Creator Abdul Rashidi collaborates with our technical experts worldwide to address common industry challenges. In this instalment, we delve into the critical issue of blend flow and its impact on tablet weight uniformity and tablet and formulation defects.  

Flow is a fundamental factor that ensures that each tablet contains the precise dose of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) when loaded into small die cavities. Achieving this consistency can be difficult, with challenges arising from various factors such as humidity, temperature, or formulation-specific issues. 

In our latest episode of Tech Talks, Abdul talks with Anita Vasilevska, IMCD Pharmaceuticals’ Technical Marketing Manager, at the Cologne Pharmaceutical Technical Centre (PTC) to explore the complexities of flow challenges and provide insights into different solutions to overcome them. 

Two commonly discussed solutions for improving powder flow, and consequently tablet weight uniformity, are glidants and flow-enhancing ingredients (e.g. co-processed excipients). Understanding the differences between these two options is essential for selecting the best approach for your manufacturing process. 

 

Glidants, such as colloidal silicon dioxide, can improve flow through several mechanisms. While glidants can be effective, they may not address every flow-related challenge. In such cases, the formulation and the other ingredients within it play a more significant role in resolving issues with flow and weight uniformity. 

 

Flow-enhancing ingredients, such as silicified microcrystalline cellulose or ingredients with high bulk density, offer dual benefits: improving flowability while often enhancing the compressibility of the powder blend.