Preparation of cocrystal-in-excipient systems by advanced pharmaceutical methods

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the production of cocrystal-in-excipient systems by a variety of advanced pharmaceutical methods, such as spray drying, hot melt extrusion and spray coating. The production of cocrystal-in-excipient systems by a one step process can serve to reduce the number of unit operations required to produce a final pharmaceutical product, as a separate blending step of the cocrystal with excipients may be omitted. This concept, referred to as process intensification, can serve to increase the economic and ecological efficiency of industrial production routes. The production of cocrystal-in-excipient systems by a one step process could result in a powder which may be suitable for direct compression to tablets, or cocrystal coated beads which could be filled into capsules. The overall objective of this thesis was to investigate if an excipient could be incorporated into a one step process with an API and coformer, while still retaining the cocrystal structure.