Manufacture of Ternary Solid Dispersions Composed of Nifedipine, Eudragit® E and Adsorbent

Abstract

The aim of this study was to manufacture the ternary solid dispersions composed of nifedipine, Eudragit® E and adsorbent. Dissolution enhancement of nifedipine was also investigated. The inert solid carriers were added in the mixtures of nifedipine and Eudragit® E at varying ratios. The physicochemical properties of ternary systems, compared to physical mixtures, were analyzed using powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The dissolution of nifedipine from ternary systems was compared to the drug alone. The influence of drug:polymer: adsorbent ratio and type of adsorbent on the dissolution rate of the drug was also evaluated. The PXRD and DSC results of the systems with high amount of polymer showed that the drug was present in an amorphous form. On the other hand, the diffraction patterns and DSC thermograms of the physical mixtures revealed that to some extent the drug was present in a crystalline form. The results from this study demonstrated that an improvement in dissolution rate of nifedipine with Eudragit® E and adsorbents was obtained.