UGA New Materials Institute researchers test quicker, cheaper, more efficient tablet formulation development

Researchers from the UGA New Materials Institute expanded upon the material-sparing tablet development (MSTD) method and found it can be applied to a wide variety of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). When combined with a lab-scale tablet press, the team found that formulations can be designed and tested using less than 20 grams of API in less than 14 days. 

The development of new pharmaceutical tablet formulations is both costly and time-intensive, delaying the delivery of potentially life-saving medications to patients. Conventional approaches require large-scale equipment and substantial powder volumes, which are impractical in early development when only limited API is available. This constraint represents a significant barrier to efficient formulation. The MSTD approach addresses this challenge by leveraging the material properties of the API to guide formulation design. Understanding these properties provides critical insight into how the API behaves during processing, allowing formulations to be tailored for each API to improve efficiency while minimizing material use.

Small-scale test methods and a lab-scale tablet press 

For their study, the team from the Locklin Group utilized small-scale test methods, and a Korsch XP-1 automated lab-scale tablet press, which can produce phase I clinical trial-size quantities of tablets and operate with as little as 10 grams of powder blend. Four APIs were randomly selected for the study from Boehringer Ingleheim’s opnMe platform. 

Each API was analyzed for particle morphology, density, compression behavior, and flowability. Powder blends were tested for flowability and tensile strength to ensure manufacturability. Tablets were tested for dissolution, disintegration, friability, content uniformity, and stability. 

Overall, the team found that the MSTD approach can drastically reduce resource cost and development time in early-stage drug development, thus expediting delivery of potentially life-saving medications to patients. 

Where to find the study 

“Twenty grams in two weeks: Material sparing tablet development of direct compression formulations for immediate release applications” was published in the journal Powder Technology. Coauthors for this study are Caitlin C. Wood, Nohora P. Manovacia Moreno, Jessica Drewke, Jessica A. Bramhall, Sammy Bell and Jason J. Locklin, all affiliated with the UGA New Materials Institute.