Abstract
Eudragit® polymers are polymethacrylates highly used in pharmaceutics for the development of modified drug delivery systems. They are widely known due to their versatility with regards to chemical composition, solubility, and swelling properties. Moreover, Eudragit polymers are thermoplastic, and their use has been boosted in some production processes, such as hot melt extrusion (HME) and fused deposition modelling 3D printing, among other 3D printing techniques. Therefore, this review covers the studies using Eudragit polymers in the development of drug delivery systems produced by HME and 3D printing techniques over the last 10 years. Eudragit E has been the most used among them, mostly to formulate immediate release systems or as a taste-masker agent. On the other hand, Eudragit RS and Eudragit L100-55 have mainly been used to produce controlled and delayed release systems, respectively. The use of Eudragit polymers in these processes has frequently been devoted to producing solid dispersions and/or to prepare filaments to be 3D printed in different dosage forms. In this review, we highlight the countless possibilities offered by Eudragit polymers in HME and 3D printing, whether alone or in blends, discussing their prominence in the development of innovative modified drug release systems.
Highlights
The results demonstrated that both polymers were able to act as taste-masking agents, with Eudragit L100 (EL100) having the advantage of dissolving in pH ≥ 6 compared with L100-55, which dissolves in pH ≥ 5.5 [80]
This review provides an overview of the applications of Eudragit polymers in the development of drug delivery systems by hot melt extrusion (HME) and 3D printing reported in the last ten years
The different properties attributed to the different grades of the Eudragit polymers make them versatile ingredients to obtain dosage forms by these methods, ranging from immediate to controlled drug release systems
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Eudragit FS 30 D (EFS30D) is an anionic polymer composed of methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate and methacrylic acid It is available as a 30% aqueous dispersion, presenting low viscosity and solubility above pH 7.0, and has been used for the formulation of colonic drug delivery systems [26,28]. This polymer family has been widely used in the formulation and production of drug delivery systems and pharmaceutical products, as previously reviewed by other groups [26,27], the application of these polymers to the development of innovative devices by 3D printing has recently started in pharmaceutics and has not been reviewed yet. This review addresses the main use and applications of the polymers of the Eudragit family in the development of modified drug delivery systems produced by HME and/or 3D printing processes, discussing their versatility and challenges on this topic
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