As part of a continuing series of posts on LinkedIn looking at powder testing requirements for specific applications, Tim Freeman continues the discussion by looking at the process of capsule filling.
Capsules are widely used to provide metered doses for oral and pulmonary drug delivery. For oral administration fill weights are typically in the range 50 to 500 mg but for Dry Powder Inhalers (DPIs), dose size is far smaller, principally within the range 0.5 to 15 mg. These smaller quantities, in combination with the fine particle size of inhaler formulations, are particularly challenging. Characterising powders in a way that allows for a correlation between measured properties and the powder’s behaviour in the dosing equipment is extremely helpful when it comes to developing optimised filling processes for all powders, but especially these demanding materials. Research has shown that multiple powder properties, in combination, define capsule filling performance, making powder testers that deliver multi-faceted powder characterisation uniquely applicable.
Please click here to read the article in full – Powder Characterisation Techniques for Capsule Filling.