Stable Micro Systems boosts breakdown testing

Published: 30-Jun-2010
Manufacturing Regulatory Analysis

Tablet disintegration rig assesses fast-melting tablet properties

Stable Micro Systems, a UK specialist in texture analysis and materials testing, has unveiled a tablet disintegration rig, which assesses the mechanical properties of fast-melting tablets (FMTs). Attached to the company’s TA.XTplus texture analyser, the rig closely replicates the in vivo conditions of the human mouth, enabling manufacturers to examine water absorption and the disintegration of associated particles into individual components. This allows the determination of tablet disintegration time and behaviour, giving a useful insight into performance and efficacy.


The geometry of the rig allows the disintegration medium to access the tablet from all areas. The dry tablet sample is secured to a probe by a thin strip of double-sided adhesive tape along its diameter. The probe’s surface has a ‘channelled’ design, allowing fluid to flow freely all round the tablet while ensuring contact is maintained with the probe. Once the probe is lowered into the medium, the tablet is positioned on a perforated platform, and the texture analyser applies a constant force onto it. The perforated surface enables free ingress of water beneath the sample and dispersion of the disintegrant.

Jo Smewing, applications manager, Stable Micro Systems, said: ‘The tablet disintegration rig is a more efficient alternative to the older means of assessing dissolution properties traditionally employed by researchers. They involved submerging a tablet attached with tape to the bottom of a cylinder probe and testing the time required for the tablet to dissolve. But the tablet was ‘trapped’ between the tape and the vessel base, restricting its exposure to the medium. The new rig overcomes the issue by allowing the FMT particles to detach easily during the disintegration process, imitating the realistic conditions of drug administration.’

The rig is supplied with five probe heads to enable multiple sample preparation in advance of testing and fast interchange.

  • Companies:
  • Stable Micro Systems
See more

You may also like

Manufacturing

Stable micro systems improves efficiency in powder handling

Read more
Enabling pharmaceutical and nutraceutical manufacturers to characterise powders quickly and easily

Trending Articles

  1. Catalent and AstraZeneca to expand support for COVID-19 vaccine AZD1222 Catalent will prepare the Harmans facility, close to Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) airport, to enable multiple production trains to run in parallel to produce the vaccine candidate drug substance commencing late in the third quarter of 2020
  2. Overcoming CMC challenges in cell and gene therapy: part II Certara’s Dr Hien Anh Bruno, Associate Director, Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC), and Dr Deven Shah, CMC Lead, propose mitigation strategies to address the CMC challenges inherent in producing cell and gene therapy (CGT) drugs
  3. Kindeva Drug Delivery appoints Denis Johnson as Chief Operating Officer Denis will be responsible for optimising global operations for the company
  4. Tabletability, compactability and compressibility: What’s the difference? To patients and consumers, tablets are a simple and convenient dosage form, but the science behind compressing a block of particles or granules into a single tablet can be complicated. Here, the tablet experts Natoli explain how to develop tabletability, compactibility, and compressibility profiles
  5. Causes and solutions for dark spots in tablet manufacturing Natoli Engineering examines the causes and solutions for dark spots that can halt production

Upcoming event

Cleanroom Conference UK

22–23 May 2024 | Exhibition | Birmingham, UK See all

You may also like

Manufacturing

Stable micro systems improves efficiency in powder handling

Enabling pharmaceutical and nutraceutical manufacturers to characterise powders quickly and easily
You need to be a subscriber to read this article.
Click here to find out more.
Manufacturing

A hard pill to swallow

Measuring texture in novel oral dosage forms
Manufacturing

Parenteral delivery — under control

In this second article exploring new methods of quantifying and analysing the performance characteristics of controlled release products*, Jo Smewing, applications manager, Stable Micro Systems, outlines tests for parenteral forms of controlled delivery systems
Manufacturing

Evonik Degussa improves shear testing in powders liable to caking

Instrumentation from Stable Micro Systems overcomes lack of repeatability and objectivity of manual testing
Manufacturing

Texture analyser offers easy to interpret and reliable data

SMS makes texture analysis available to smaller pharmaceutical manufacturers
Manufacturing

Discover the physical limits

Jo Smewing, applications manager, Stable Micro Systems, explores new methods to measure pivotal physical characteristics of controlled release (CR) tablets
Manufacturing

Gel mucoadhesion probe is more accurate, researchers find

Stable Micro Systems" gel mucoadhesion probe has been identified as the most reliable and repeatable instrument for evaluating the mucoadhesion of hydrogels by researchers at the University of Iceland.
Subscribe now