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Solid dosage forms are the pharmaceutical drug delivery systems of choice for oral drug delivery. These solid dosage forms are often coated to modify the physico-chemical properties of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), in particular to alter release kinetics. Since the product performance of coated dosage forms is a function of their critical coating attributes, including coating thickness, uniformity, and density, more advanced quality control techniques than weight gain are required. A recently introduced non-destructive method to quantitatively characterise coating quality is terahertz pulsed imaging (TPI). The ability of terahertz radiation to penetrate many pharmaceutical materials enables structural features of coated solid dosage forms to be probed at depth, which is not readily achievable with other established imaging techniques, e.g. near-infrared (NIR) and Raman spectroscopy. In this review TPI is introduced and various applications of the technique in pharmaceutical coating analysis are discussed. These include evaluation of coating thickness, uniformity, surface morphology, density, defects and buried structures as well as correlation between TPI measurements and drug release performance, coating process monitoring and scale up. Furthermore, challenges and limitations of the technique are discussed., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this study, terahertz pulsed imaging (TPI) was employed to investigate the effect of the coating equipment (fluid bed and drum coater) on the structure of the applied film coating and subsequent dissolution behaviour. Six tablets from every batch coated with the same delayed release coating formulation under recommended process conditions (provided by the coating polymer supplier) were mapped individually to evaluate the effect of coating device on critical coating characteristics (coating thickness, surface morphology and density). Although the traditional coating quality parameter (weight gain) indicated no differences between both batches, TPI analysis revealed a lower mean coating thickness (CT) for tablets coated in the drum coater compared to fluid bed coated tablets (p<0.05). Moreover, drum coated tablets showed a more pronounced CT variation between the two sides and the centre band of the biconvex tablets, with the CT around the centre band being 22.5% thinner than the top and bottom sides for the drum coated tablets and 12.5% thinner for fluid bed coated tablets. The TPI analysis suggested a denser coating for the drum coated tablets. Dissolution testing confirmed that the film coating density was the drug release governing factor, with faster drug release for tablets coated in the fluid bed coater (98 ± 4% after 6h) compared to drum coated tablets (72 ± 6% after 6h). Overall, TPI investigation revealed substantial differences in the applied film coating quality between tablets coated in the two coaters, which in turn correlated with the subsequent dissolution performance., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Matrix dosage forms are widely used for sustained drug release. As both the distribution of the matrix components and physical changes during dissolution can impact drug release behavior, a comprehensive investigation of these phenomena is required during matrix development. In this study, Raman microscopy was used to investigate different extrudate formulations in terms of component distribution and structural changes during dissolution testing. Two systems containing the model drug theophylline anhydrate were investigated: a binary system, based on a tripalmitin matrix, and a ternary system, containing tripalmitin and polyethylene glycol. The distribution of the drug and the soluble and insoluble matrix components were mapped during dissolution testing. Although a receding drug boundary was observed, it was not uniformly distant from the matrix edge. The lipid structure remained intact, whereas the water-soluble polymer rapidly dissolved and diffused from the matrix leaving a more extensive network of channels through which the dissolution medium could penetrate and the drug could diffuse. Raman mapping can be considered a useful aid in the direct analysis of multiple matrix components during drug release, and therefore a deeper understanding of factors affecting drug release can be obtained during the development of sustained-release matrices., (Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

In this study, in situ and mapping Raman spectroscopic measurements were used to investigate the physical structure of solid lipid extrudates and relate the structure to dissolution behaviour. Theophylline anhydrate was extruded with tripalmitin, with and without the water-soluble polymer, polyethylene glycol 10000. Raman mapping of the extrudate cores revealed that drug particles of diverse size were dispersed in a continuous lipid phase with or without polyethylene glycol. At the surface, there was evidence of more mixing between the components. Previous characterisation by other methods suggested that the extrudate surface is covered predominantly by lipid, and the Raman mapping suggested that such a layer is in general less than a few micrometres thick. Nevertheless, the lipid layer dramatically reduced the drug dissolution rate. The extrudate cores were also mapped after a period of dissolution testing, and there was no evidence of a uniformly receding drug boundary in the extrudates during drug release. In situ Raman spectroscopy analysis during dissolution testing revealed that the drug distribution in the extrudate affected the formation of theophylline monohydrate. However, the drug release rate was primarily determined directly by drug distribution, with the solid-state behaviour of the drug having a smaller influence., (2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association)