CRAMS Division

Compressed tablets are the most widely used solid dosage form so they must satisfy a number of physical requirements in terms of hardness, disintegration ability, friability and uniformity. To provide these tablet characteristics in accordance with the chosen ingredients, manufacturers can use three different processing technologies: direct compression, dry granutation and wet granulation. Direct compression is a popular choice because it provides the shortest, most effective and least complex way to produce tablets. The manufacturer can blend an API with the excipient and the lubricant, followed by compression, which makes the product easy to process. No additional processing steps are required. Moisture or heat sensitive ingredients, which would be contraindicated in wet granulation, can also be used in this type of process. However, it does require a very critical selection of excipients in comparison to granulation processes because the raw materials must demonstrate good flowability and compressibility for successful operation. The use of direct compression as a manufacturing technique is estimated to be as high as 500/o of formulations in the United States.

Shamrock Medicaments has developed directly compressible granules of API’s using different excipients with an objective of reducing the manufacturing process and time at customers’ end.

These ‘smart’ API’s will not only be compressible thereby affording to be compressed directly into tablets but wilt also possess specific USP’s such as

1. Improved solubility
2. Improved dissolution performance
3. Controlled release
4. Miniaturization of size thereby improving swallow-ability

Also, these smart API’s can be flited into capsules, sachets as well as compressed into dispersible tablets thus offering a variety of options to the customer for developing age appropriate dosage forms.