Producing High-Dose Liqui-Tablet (Ketoprofen 100 mg) for Enhanced Drug Release Using Novel Liqui-Mass Technology

Abstract

Abstract Purpose Liqui-Tablet is a dosage form derived from Liqui-Mass technology. It has proven to be a promising approach to improve drug dissolution rate of poorly water-soluble drugs. So far, Liqui-Tablet is feasible for low-dose drugs. In this study, an attempt was made to produce high-dose Liqui-Tablet, whilst maintaining ideal physicochemical properties for ease of manufacturing. Methods Liqui-Tablets containing 100 mg of ketoprofen were produced using various liquid vehicles including PEG 200, Span 80, Kolliphor EL, PG, and Tween 85. Investigations that were carried out included saturation solubility test, dissolution test, tomographic study, and typical quality control tests for assessing flowability, particle size distribution, friability, and tablet hardness. Results The weight of these Liqui-Tablets was acceptable for swallowing (483.8 mg), and the saturation solubility test showed PEG 200 to be the most suitable liquid vehicle (493 mg/mL). Tests investigating physicochemical properties such as flowability, particle size distribution, friability, and tablet hardness have shown no issue concerning quality control and manufacturability. The drug release test of the best formulation has shown extremely rapid drug release at pH 7.4 (100% after 5 min). At pH 1.2 the drug release was reasonable considering the formulation was yet to be optimized. Conclusion Despite the high amount of API and liquid vehicle, it is possible to produce a high-dose dosage form with acceptable size and weight for swallowing using the novel Liqui-Mass technology. This has the potential to diversify the technology by removing the restriction of high dose drug that has been seen in liquisolid technology.