PHARMA FOCUS: EXCIPIENTS
Polymers to improve processability, stability and patient satisfaction
Ashland is a global consumer market-focused additives and speciality ingredients company that responsibly solves for a better world. Ashland Life Sciences advances drug delivery with an unparalleled range of excipients. Its longstanding polymer expertise and technical support enable sophisticated science-based solutions for today’s drug formulation challenges.
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he global centres of excellence of Ashland are home to advanced equipment and passionate research scientists and formulators, who are ready to work from concept to commercialisation. As a company that is always solving™, Ashland is driven by its vision to make a better world by providing creative solutions through the application of speciality ingredients and materials.
• controlled-release, incorporating release-profile prediction and simulation, melt extrusion, particle and pellet coating, drug layering and matrix tablets • film coating with fluid bed coating, pan coating and colour matching.
SOLUTIONS FOR FORMULATORS, MANUFACTURERS AND PATIENTS Available locally from SK Chemtrade, Ashland’s solutions contribute to increased patient acceptability and satisfaction. They add to the ease with which a product can be manufactured, support the overall safety and effectiveness of a drug during storage or use, and enhance stability and bioavailability. Scientists from Ashland support the pharmaceutical industry with formulation and process development in various application areas, including: • standard granulation, such as fluid bed, high shear and hot-melt extrusion • tabletting, ranging from direct compression, bi-layer, multi-layer and tablet in tablet to compaction simulation and 3D printing • solid dispersion such as hot-melt extrusion and spray drying
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Ashland has considerable expertise in the characterisation of powder properties, including flow, particle size, surface area, morphology and more. The company offers real-time solutions based on superior binder, film coating, solubiliser,
disintegrant, rheology control, stabiliser and modified-release technologies. Products are available in various grades for oral solid, liquid and injectable dosage forms.
MULTIFUNCTIONAL WATER-SOLUBLE CELLULOSE POLYMERS Klucel hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC) is a non-ionic water-soluble cellulose ether with a remarkable combination of properties. It has long been the tablet binder of choice for oral solid dosage forms in pharmaceutical applications. Klucel HPC combines organic solvent solubility, thermoplasticity and surface activity with the aqueous thickening and stabilising properties characteristic of other watersoluble cellulose polymers available from Ashland. Benecel hypromellose products are water-soluble, non-ionic polymers. Hypromellose is the most widely used polymer in hydrophilic matrix systems with widespread use in controlled-release dosage forms. The Benecel family of pharmaceutical products provides a full portfolio to support the controlled release of a broad range of APIs and manufacturing processes. Ashland’s newest grades, Benecel XR and XRF, are HPMC products with an optimised
