The most common commercial pharmaceutical dosage forms are tablets and capsules, but unfortunately these forms may not be suitable for sub-groups, such as very ill children and elderly patients and those experiencing trauma and involved in surgery. Many of these patients have difficulty in swallowing a solid dosage form. For these groups, the general practice is to use equipment such as the age-old mortar and pestle to pulverize the tablet, transfer the powder to a container and then make a liquid suspension by addition of water. This process consists of two unit processes: dry grinding followed by creation of a water suspension. This paper reports on the evaluation of a novel wet milling method for performing these unit operations in a single water-filled dosage cup. The basic concept is that the partially water-filled cup is rotated or spun about its axis to produce relative motion between the tablet and the cup surfaces. The cup surfaces are textured so that material is abraded from the tablet when it strikes the cup walls. The complex water motion assists in “softening” the tablet, abrading particulates from its surface, and producing a fine aqueous suspension. Experimental investigations were performed on two concepts. The first method utilized intermittent single axis cup rotation to produce relative motion between the tablet and cup surfaces. The second concept involved rotating the spinning cup on a rotating arm and also about its own axis. The centrifugal force of the arm rotation pressed the tablet against the spinning cup wall, thereby increasing the shearing force. The efficiency of both methods was investigated analytically and experimentally. The effects of rotation rates, intermittent duty cycles, and water fill volumes were examined and compared.
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ASME 2009 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition
November 13–19, 2009
Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- ASME
ISBN:
978-0-7918-4382-6
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Investigation of a Novel Process for Wet Milling a Pharmaceutical Tablet in a Dynamically Rotating Water-Filled Dosage Cup
Peter Balawajder,
Peter Balawajder
Villanova University, Villanova, PA
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Jeffrey Steward,
Jeffrey Steward
Villanova University, Villanova, PA
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Alfonso Ortega,
Alfonso Ortega
Villanova University, Villanova, PA
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Joe D’Silva,
Joe D’Silva
Patients’ and Consumers’ Pharma, Doylestown, PA
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Anne Moore,
Anne Moore
Patients’ and Consumers’ Pharma, Doylestown, PA
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Luis Silva
Luis Silva
Villanova University, Villanova, PA
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Peter Balawajder
Villanova University, Villanova, PA
Jeffrey Steward
Villanova University, Villanova, PA
Alfonso Ortega
Villanova University, Villanova, PA
Joe D’Silva
Patients’ and Consumers’ Pharma, Doylestown, PA
Anne Moore
Patients’ and Consumers’ Pharma, Doylestown, PA
Luis Silva
Villanova University, Villanova, PA
Paper No:
IMECE2009-10669, pp. 955-962; 8 pages
Published Online:
July 8, 2010
Citation
Balawajder, P, Steward, J, Ortega, A, D’Silva, J, Moore, A, & Silva, L. "Investigation of a Novel Process for Wet Milling a Pharmaceutical Tablet in a Dynamically Rotating Water-Filled Dosage Cup." Proceedings of the ASME 2009 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition. Volume 9: Heat Transfer, Fluid Flows, and Thermal Systems, Parts A, B and C. Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA. November 13–19, 2009. pp. 955-962. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/IMECE2009-10669
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