Coprocessed Excipients for Solid Dosage Forms

Tablets and capsules are the most preferred dosage forms of pharmaceutical scientists and clinicians because they can be accurately dosed and provide good patient compliance,
they are easy for companies to manufacture, and they can be produced at a relatively low cost. This popularity of tablets coupled with an increased understanding of the physics of compression and of manufacturing process variables have matured the manufacture of tablets as a science in its own right (1). Tablets are manufactured primarily by either granulation compression or direct compression. The latter involves the compression of a dry blend of powders that comprises drugs and various excipients. The simplicity and costeffectiveness of the direct-compression process have positioned direct compression as an attractive alternative to traditional granulation technologies. In a survey conducted in 1992 by Shangraw et al. concerning the process preferred by pharmaceutical manufacturers, nearly 41.5% indicated that direct compression was their process of choice, and 41.5% preferred both wet granulation and direct compression (2). Only 17.2% indicated that they did not prefer direct compression as a tableting method.

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