Wet coating methods use organic solvents to prepare layered particles that provide controlled-release medications. However, this approach has disadvantages in that it can cause particle agglomeration, reduce pharmaceutical stability, and leave residual organic solvents. We used a dry coating method to overcome these issues. Fine particles (less than 50 μm in diameter) of controlled-release theophylline were created using theophylline (TP; model drug), polyethylene glycol 20,000 (PEG; drug fixative), hydrogenated castor oil (HCO; controlled-release material), hydrogenated rapeseed oil (HRSO; controlled-release material), and cornstarch (CS; core particle). An ultrahigh-speed mixer was employed to mix TP and CS for 5 min at 28,000 rpm. Subsequent addition of PEG produced single-core particles with a drug reservoir coating. Addition of HCO and HRSO to these particles produced a controlled-release layer on their surface, resulting in less than 10% TP dissolution after 8 h. We successfully demonstrated that this dry coating method could be used to coat 16-μm CS particles with a drug reservoir layer and a controlled-release layer, producing multi-layer coated single-core particles that were less than 50 μm in diameter. These can be used to prepare controlled-release tablets, capsules, and orally disintegrating tablets.
Keywords: controlled-release fine particles; drug reservoir coating; dry coating; multi-layer coating; theophylline.