[learn_more caption=”Jerry Klinzing”] Biography of speaker Jerry Klinzing is currently a member of the Compaction Research Laboratory, West Point, PA. This group is responsible for all aspects of compaction and mechanical property characterization of drug substance and product. His research interests include material characterization and computational modeling. He holds B.E. in Chemical Engineering (U. of Delaware – 2007) and PhD (2012) in Materials Science and Engineering from Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA.[/learn_more]

Abstract:

Tablet dosage forms comprise a significant portion of global pharmaceutical sales. Despite this prevalence, elegance defects still arise throughout production. Therefore, new tablet formulations must be optimized to minimize the incidence of tablet defects which negatively impact productivity and could result in patient complaints. Defects or failure modes such as chipping, abrasion, and sticking are all related to a tablet’s microstructure which is innately a function of the material properties of the drug product composition. Consequently, the microstructure of a tablet is a key physical attribute which must be better understood in order to reduce defects associated with downstream processes such as film coating and packaging. Calibrated computational models provide a method to understand how density gradients vary within tablets. Tablet images of different shapes, sizes, and those incorporating embossing can be modeled computationally thus minimizing the time needed for optimal tool selection. These computational models may be used to predict specific microstructural features which will help optimize the shape and size of marketed products.

Current work examines how different materials affect density distributions in tablets of different shapes. Materials are classified into different groups by their mechanical behavior and new materials are developed computationally without the need for additional model calibration. In addition, an optimization software was utilized to determine robust tablet shapes and embossing features. Future works will provide guidance on how tablet shape and density affect the resulting mechanical properties of the tablet such as strength and damage.