There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.
Abstract
Starting from the plastic industry, today melt extrusion has found its place in the
array of pharmaceutical manufacturing operations. This article reviews the process
technology with regard to the set up and specific elements of the extruder as well
as its application. Melt extrusion processes are currently applied in the pharmaceutical
field for the manufacture of a variety of dosage forms and formulations such as granules,
pellets, tablets, suppositories, implants, stents, transdermal systems and ophthalmic
inserts. As a specific area the manufacture of solid dispersions, in particular, solid
molecular dispersions using the melt extrusion process is reviewed. Melt extrusion
is considered to be an efficient technology in this field with particular advantages
over solvent processes like co-precipitation. Potential drawbacks like the influence
of heat stress and shear forces on the drug active have been overcome in a number
of examples with drugs of different chemical structure. Examples of suitable excipients
and recent findings like self-emulsifying preparations are presented. The article
concludes with a number of published examples of melt extrudates applying the principle
of solid molecular dispersions. Improved bioavailability was achieved again demonstrating
the value of the technology as a drug delivery tool.