Hermes Pharma, a contract development and manufacturing organization, has announced the commercial implementation of hot melt coating (HMC) in its production facility. The implementation of this technology is the result of a research project aimed at developing new pharmaceutical formulations that are stable, effective and user-friendly.

Acetylcysteine (NAC), a thermo-sensitive mucolytic compound exhibiting an unpleasant sour and metallic taste, was selected as the model active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) for this research project. The dosage form designated was orally disintegrating granules (ODGs), which consist of small granules that are applied directly into the mouth. ODGs do not require any water and are easy to swallow As they do not have to be swallowed whole and spend more time in the mouth than conventional tablets, they are more thoroughly tasted, making taste-masking crucially important. Hermes Pharma successfully deployed HMC to mask the sour and metallic taste of NAC, as well as its sulfuric smell, which are specific to this API. It also achieved a stable, immediate-release profile and unaltered polymorphic form of the coating during storage, according to the company.

Initiated by Hermes Pharma in 2012 in conjunction with the Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering GmbH (RCPE), INNOJET Herbert Hüttlin, and the Karl Franzens University Graz, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, the collaboration has now been completed. Hermes Pharma recently won the Research and Innovation Award, the highest recognition that the Carinthian Economic Promotion Fund of Austria awards in this field for its research into hot melt coating.

Source: Hermes Pharma