Oral Dosage Form Flashcards
Define dissolution
Disintegration of granules into fine particles so it can be solubilised and absorbed
When does [C] fall?
When absorption is dissolution rate limited due to absorption or partitioning of the drug.
Describe how are sink conditions maintained during dissolution.
As drug molecules diffuse away from the saturated diffusion layer into the bulk fluids, new drug molecules replace them, rapidly saturating the diffusion layer (sink conditions).
The further away you get from the diffusion layer, the lower the concentration.
Drug concentration gradient maintains the sink conditions (saturated diffusion layer maintained).
What is the significance of the pH diffusion layer?
Not considering the pH of the diffusion later may lead to overestimation of the rate of ionisation and dissolution of weak acids (intestine) and weak bases (stomach)
How do salts improve dissolution of WAs in the stomach?
The dissolution rate of weak acids in the stomach is low.
The drug is unionised (due to acidic pH) and therefore poorly soluble in the diffusion layer.
Alkaline salt of WA increases diffusion layer pH.
Na and K salts dissolve more rapidly than free acids.
Regardless of the local pH
They release OH ions which increases the pH of the diffusion layer, promoting drug ionisation.
Increases solubility and dissolution.
What does the pH partition hypothesis of absorption of ionised drugs depend on?
Ka/pKa Partition coefficient (P)
What is pKa defined as?
The pH at which 50% of the drug molecules are ionised
[ionised] = [unionised]
What is distribution coefficient (D) defined as?
What does it depend on?
The ‘effective’ partition coefficient, accounting for the degree ionisation.
Depends on pH
Related to P and logP
Can be approximated at any pH using pKa of a drug
What is the equation of carrier-mediated transport absorption rate?
Absorption rate = (Vmax x C)/(Km + C)
What is Vmax?
A constant
Relates to the maximum rate of transport or saturate of the carriers
What is Km?
A constant
Relates to the affinity of the carrier binding of the drug
What effect does food have on dissolution?
For both WA and WB drugs, food:
Delays gastric emptying and improves dissolution
Stimulates acid release, further reducing stomach pH
Blood flow increases when stimulated by gastric secretions
What happens when a weakly basic drug enters the stomach?
Weakly basic drugs are ionised and soluble in the acidic stomach.
However, charged base less lipophilic and less permeable. Also, the stomach has a low surface area (sub-optimal conditions for permeation).
What happens when a weakly basic drug enters the small intestine?
Small intestine is more basic
therefore the percentage of ionised drug species reduces.
Increased permeation due to increased lipophilicity, blood supply and high surface area.
Due to good blood flow in the gut, there is sink conditions which helps to establish a high concentration gradient
What happens when a weakly acidic drug enters the stomach?
WA drugs exists in unionised form in the acidic conditions of the stomach.
Stomach has a low SA = limited uptake of ionised drug in the stomach.
The molecule becomes more lipophilic and permeable but it’s solubility decreases and precipitation may occur
What happens when a weakly acidic drug enters the small intestine?
The percentage of uncharged acid reduces, ionisation increases and solubility increases.
The charged acid is less lipophilic and has a lower partition into liquid.
Rapid blood flow maintains high diffusion gradient for solubilised and permeable fraction of the drug
Discuss very weak acids (pKa>8) in terms of ionisation, solubility and permeability
- Ionisation: Unionised at most pH values
- Solubility: May be poor/not really affected by pH
- Permeability: May be okay but may be affected by pH
Discuss moderately weak acids (pKa 2.5 - 7.5) in terms of ionisation, solubility and permeability
- Ionisation: Unionised at gastric level, ionised at intestinal pH
- Solubility: Poor in the stomach and improved in the small intestine
- Permeability: May be okay in the stomach but may be decreased in the small intestine
Discuss stronger acids (pKa<2) in terms of ionisation, solubility and permeability
- Ionisation: Ionised at most pH values
- Solubility and Permeability: May be okay or mildly affected by pH
Discuss very weak bases (pKa<7) in terms of ionisation, solubility and permeability
Ionisation: Unionised at most pH values
Solubility: May be poor and may be improved at acid pH
- Permeability: May be okay but decreases in the stomach
Discuss moderately weak bases (pKa 7 - 10) in terms of ionisation, solubility and permeability
- Ionisation: Ionised as gastric pH, largely unionised at intestinal pH
- Solubility: Okay in GI but decreased in the intestine
- Permeability: Poor in the stomach but improves in the intestine
Discuss strong bases (pKa>11) in terms of ionisation, solubility and permeability
Ionisation: Ionised at most pH values
Solubility: Okay/mildly affected
Permeability: Poor permeability and isn’t really affected by pH
What properties do drugs in Class I of the BCS have?
High solubility
High permeability
What properties do drugs in Class II of the BCS have?
Low solubility
High permeability
What properties do drugs in Class III of the BCS have?
High solubility
Low permeability
What properties do drugs in Class IV of the BCS have?
Low solubility
Low solubility
When are drugs considered to be highly soluble?
When the highest dose required is soluble in <250ml of water over a pH range of 1 - 7.5
Why would a weakly basic BCS class II have low bioavailability when given as an immediate release orally?
Class II = Low solubility and high permeability
Decreased solubility means that it goes straight to the intestine undissolved
Should ideally be given with food to increase dissolution time
What are the issues associated with low drug solubility in vivo?
- Decreased bioavailability
- Increased chance of food effects
- Increased issues with disease states (esp. GIT problems affecting blood flow)
- Increased incomplete release
- Higher interpatient variability
What are the issues associated with low drug solubility during formulation?
- Limited choice of delivery technologies
- Complex dissolution testing
- Limited/poor correlation with in vivo and in vitro absorption
What are the factors affecting dissolution and absorption
- Wettability (contact angle)
- Surfactants (enhances wetting and solubilisation)
- Particle size (small size increase SA)
- Solid dispersions (Eutectic mixture)
- Polymorphs (different solubility, MP and dissolution rates)
- pH solubility
- Soluble prodrugs (Clorazepate acid degraded to Nordiazapam)
- Complexation (by excipients, food, GI mucin etc.)
- Adsorbents (reduce amount of drug available)
- Viscosity enhancers (increase retention time)
- Degradation (hydrolysis reduces drug available)
Diluents (improves solubility)
What are the major issues caused by poor drug solubility?
- Poor bioavailability
- Sub optimal dosing
- Food effects (variation in bioavailability in fed vs fasting states)
- Lack of dose-response proportionality
- Inability to optimise lead compound selection based on efficacy and safety
- Harsh excipients required (co-solvents)
- Use of extreme basic/acidic conditions
- Uncontrollable precipitation after dosing
- Patient non-compliance due to inconvenient dosing/formulation
How are cyclodextrins formed?
Formed through supersaturating a cyclodextrin (CD) solution with a drug and mildly agitating the solution
OR
By kneading a drug/CD/solvent slurry to a paste, which is dried and sieved
What is the advantages and disadvantages of amorphous solids?
More soluble, but also more unstable and prone to recrystallization
How are amorphous solid dispersions formed?
Spray dry using solvents or replace solvent with supercritical fluids
OR
Hot melt extrusion:
- Soften the polymer, add drug and mix as the dispersion flows through the extruder
- Rapidly cool and extrude to form strands of polymeric glass with embedding API.
- Mill the glass strands into a powder (increases SA)
Give examples of polar excipients
Polyethylene glycol (PEG)
Gelatin
Sugar glasses (e.g. Inulin)
Lipids
How is PEG used as a polar excipient?
Used as co-solvent in liquid formulations (e.g. topical, parenteral) to prevent precipitation of poorly soluble compounds
Acts as a dispersion-enhancer or as a wetting agent.
Incorporated by solvent evaporation or freeze drying.
Can be used in combination with other excipients e.g. stearic acid, sodium lauryl sulfate
How is gelatin used as a polar excipient?
Has both positive and negative charges, which bind to the poorly soluble compound
Improves the wettability of hydrophobic compounds when used as a granulating agent