Reinvestigation of the paracetamol–caffeine, aspirin–caffeine, and paracetamol–aspirin phase equilibria diagrams

Abstract

Many drug candidates are poorly soluble. The formation of solid dispersion can improve their solubility, consequently their bioavailability. For this purpose, the use of eutectic mixtures is well known in the pharmaceutical field. At the eutectic composition, both components are in reduced particle size and well dispersed. In this work, we focus on the combination of paracetamol, aspirin, and caffeine, which is highly effective for the treatment of migraine headache pain. We have reinvestigated the paracetamol–caffeine, aspirin–caffeine, and paracetamol–aspirin phase equilibria diagrams taking into account the polymorphism of caffeine, paracetamol, and aspirin. The three phase diagrams are determined using X-ray diffraction and the differential scanning calorimetry from the binary mixtures. It is concluded that the paracetamol–caffeine and aspirin–caffeine systems are similar and exhibit two invariants, one eutectic and one metatectic. The paracetamol–aspirin phase diagram reveals the formation of one eutectic. The composition of the three eutectics formed is confirmed by the related Tamman’s triangles. No compound formation is found in the three systems.