Hot melt extrusion

Hot melt extrusion is a continuous solvent-free technology with precise process control. Lipid excipients are mainly used as matrix formers for modified release, or as solubilizers for solubility/bioavailability enhancement, alone or in combination with polymers.

Advantages of lipid excipients in hot melt extrusion:

low melt viscosity, resulting in low torque
low extrusion temperatures (30–75 °C)
low melting point and instant solidification, thereby avoiding downstream cooling
high SR drug load potential (up to 90%)

Range of functional excipients for extrusion:

Modified-release
- Compritol® 888 ATO
- Precirol® ATO 5
Solubility and oral bioavailability enhancer
- Gelucire® 48/16
Processing aid / plasticizer
- Compritol® 888 ATO
Taste masking and API protection
- Precirol® ATO 5
- Compritol® 888 ATO

In a collaborative study with the University of Austin, Gattefossé investigated hot melt extrusion using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as the polymer and Compritol^® 888 ATO as the plasticizer and sustained-release agent. The study showed that Compritol^® improves the processability of PVP dispersions, reducing extrusion torque and increasing yield.

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