Film coating specialist BIOGRUND and BENEO-Palatinit, a German supplier of excipients, are launching SugaPolish FSC at CPhI Worldwide in October. The ready-to-use blend containing galenIQ (Isomalt EP, BP, USP-NF) provides pharmaceutical and nutraceutical oral solid dosage forms with a film sugar coating that is comparable with a dragée. The process time, however, is drastically reduced.
SugaPolish FSC is a dry-milled, homogeneous, sugar-free blend that accelerates the coating of tablets. Being ready-to-use, the blend is easily handled and less time is required to prepare the coating suspension. For the process all open and closed coating systems can be used. At a weight gain of only 10%, shiny dragée-like tablets are produced within less than 70 minutes’ coating time including the waxing step.
Felix Specht, technical director at BIOGRUND, said SugaPolish FSC combines the best of two worlds.
‘Processing time is similar or shorter than film coating, but at the same time manufacturers benefit from the advantages of sugar-coated products,’ he said.
‘Undesired taste and odour of APIs are successfully masked due to the stable film sugar coating. Tests have confirmed that moisture absorbance is reduced in comparison with film coating while stability of the product is improved.’
Even on very hydrophobic centres, the firms say SugaPolish FSC leads to an excellent adhesion of the coating. The final product has an appealing appearance with shiny and brilliant colours as well as a pure and natural taste.
‘The characteristics of the multifunctional excipient galenIQ were essential to develop SugaPolish FSC. Only with the unique crystallisation behaviour of BENEO-Palatinit’s excipient, could we realise the fast coating times and the brilliant colours,’ said Specht.