Effect of a co-processed excipient on the disintegration and drug release profile of ibuprofen tablets

Tablets at present, remain the most preferred oral dosage form because of many advantages they offer to formulators as well as physicians and patients. The objective of this work was to determine the effect of co-processing on the disintegration and drug-release profile of ibuprofen tablets prepared from a co-processed excipient. The co-processed excipient (CE) containing lactose, gelatin and mucin in the ratio 90:9:1 was prepared using co-fusion. The excipient was evaluated for its physicochemical properties and then used to formulate tablets with the addition of a disintegrant by direct compression. The tablets were evaluated for their tablet properties and compared with tablets prepared with cellactose- 80® (CEL) and spray dried lactose® (SDL) and a physical mix (PM) of the co-processed ingredient. Results from evaluation of CE showed that flow rate, angle of repose, Carr’s index and Hausner’s ratio were 5.28 g/sec, 20.30o, 23.75 % and 1.31, respectively. Tablets prepared with CE had friability (0%), crushing strength (5.25) KgF, disintegration time (3 mins) and T50% (2 mins). For CEL, friability (0.4 %), crushing strength (7.25) KgF, disintegration time (1 min) and T50% (2 mins); SDL, friability (1.57 %), crushing strength (7.50) KgF, disintegration time (4 mins) and T50% (2 mins) and PM, friability (2.38 %), crushing strength (5.00) KgF, disintegration time (1 min) and T50% (2 mins). In conclusion, the disintegration time and drug release profile for CE was not superior but compared favorably with CEL, SDL and PM.