Application of a convenient and cost‑effective granulation technology for the formulation of tablets using conventional excipients

Abstract

In the present investigation, suitability of a cost‑effective and convenient granulation technique that is, moisture activated dry granulation (MADG) process for high drug loading in tablet formulation was studied. In this work, effect of the amount of water on flow properties of granules as well as an effect of mixing time on surface morphology of granules was studied. Paracetamol (PCM) immediate release granules were prepared using conventional excipients such as polyvinylpyrrolidone K‑30, Kollidon VA 64 (as binders), and simple equipments by MADG technique. The prepared granules were evaluated for flow properties and tablets were compressed using optimized granule formulation. The prepared granules possessed good flow properties that is, angle of repose was 32.11 and percent compressibility index was 19.44. Tablets disintegrated in 2.08 min and 89% of the drug was released within 30 min. All the results were comparable with PCM tablets prepared by wet granulation method. Therefore, from the above studies it was concluded that MADG process may be effectively adopted by using Kollidon VA 64 as a binder in tablet formulations where high drug loading is to be achieved, where all the parameters of the formulation can be obtained within specified limits using this simple, convenient, less time consuming, economical, and efficient method of granulation. Key words: Moisture activated dry granulation, paracetamol, precompression parameters and postcompression parameters, wet granulation