MINITABLETTING - IMPROVING THE COMPACTABILITY OF PARACETAMOL POWDER MIXTURES

Powder mixtures of paracetamol and a spray-dried lactose, Pharmatose(R ) DCL 11: after adding glidant and lubricant, were continuously tablet ted on an eccentric tabletting machine into convex-faced tablets with diameters ranging from 1.5 to 5 mm, to graded maximum relative densiti es and a ratio of overall thickness at minimum distance of the punch f aces to. diameter of one, resulting in tablets with identical geometri cal proportions. Force at upper and lower punches and the distance bet ween the upper and lower punch holders were measured during tabletting , and the resulting tablets were tested for mechanical strength and te ndency to cap. The results indicate that the mechanical stability of m initablets containing paracetamol is equal to, and at high pressures h igher than that of normal-sized tablets. The capping tendency of minit ablets is reduced. This leads to the conclusion that higher contents o f paracetamol could be tabletted, if minitablets were produced. (C) 19 98 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.