The Solid Dose - Colorcon News

Discover How to Distinguish Your Tablet

BEST®, a unique tablet design service, from Colorcon helps to visualize tablet color, shape and size by providing realistic looking images and tablet prototypes you can touch, feel and share with your stakeholders. With in-depth knowledge of colorant regulations, market data, tablet formulation, and coating, our experts can help speed your products to market, a distinct advantage in highly competitive environments.

BEST is a combination of resources that our Technical Managers and design experts use to support our customers’ key development projects. It’s not a secret, but it is a bespoke consultation service. Now, you can make informed decisions about your tablet design early in development starting with a no-obligation session.

View a new BEST video to learn more.

Connect with Colorcon to Target Patient Adherence

As a Solid Dose Newsletter subscriber, we trust you value receiving Connect with Colorcon updates.

It is our goal to add value to your day with relevant communication which shares our knowledge on topics helpful to developers of solid oral dosage products.

In the first of a two-part series on Safety by Design, our latest Connect with Colorcon post addresses how to best utilize color in designing medications with improved patient compliance and help prevent dosing mistakes.

At Colorcon, we’re always ready to support your formulation goals since we know that “Better Film Coating Starts with a Conversation.”

Streamline Your Film Coating Color Selection…

Gaining insight and managing decisions on the use of color in film coatings can be a challenge for marketing, formulators and regulatory. The Colorcon On-line Color Selector is designed to help you explore, visualize and communicate color options; easing collaboration amongst stakeholders. You then simply contact Colorcon to discuss your coating functional requirements and our experts will expedite the right sample to you.

Ensure your color choice is acceptable for your target market

We work diligently to provide the right coating system, containing the exact amount of colorant to match the shade and intensity you desire. At the same time, we research your color choice against the standards directed by the regulatory authorities in your target market. If regulations restrict your choice, we work with you to get the closest match possible and help you meet your brand goals.

My Colorcon users can Open up to a New World of Color® here »

Or to gain access to this and other useful Colorcon proprietary tools simply register here »

Technical

The Smart Choice – Opadry® QX

Opadry® QX, quick and fleXible film coating, is proving to be an even smarter choice for film coating. We are learning from our customers' experiences, that Opadry QX is proving a runaway success to easily coat temperature sensitive actives, with quick application to protect from the rigors of the film coating process. Opadry QX is designed for use across a wide range of equipment, with tablet bed temperatures as low as 30°C; and with the high solids levels (up to 30% w/w) a perfect coating finish is completed in 40% less time, reducing the amount of time tablets in the coating equipment. And they also report, that process adaptability means scale-up and transfer are simpler, saving time and valuable resources.

If you are facing a challenge with coating a temperature sensitive active, then simply request a sample and try this out for yourself.

Remember to register/log-in to access your gateway to superior online services and information, including access to samples.

Make Your Colorants Simple and Reproducible

Formulators seeking better options for coloring gummies, soft and hard gelatin capsules, have responded with enthusiasm to the improved processing and increased manufacturing efficiencies of Opatint, liquid color concentrate from Colorcon. Every fully-formulated Opatint dispersion contains approved colorants in the liquid base specified by the user, including glycerin, propylene glycol, water, or sugar solutions, and delivers “pour and use” simplicity.

Available with single or custom color matches containing dye, lake or non-synthetic pigment options, the choices offered when using Opatint gives formulators much-needed results in color intensity and pigment dispersion, even overcoming troublesome experiences like hot spots. Each formulation is specially selected to meet the regulatory requirements of the user, market, and industry.

Color your capsule and gummy formulations more simply and reproducibly. Learn more »

Custom, one-step coloring solutions for gummies and soft gelatin and hard gelatin capsules.

Reduce Sugar Coating Time from Days to Hours

Although sugar coating is less frequently included in the development of new products, it is still a chosen way of finishing pharmaceutical products and remains in use on legacy high-volume, popular medicines found in pharmacy, over the counter (OTC) and in-store shelves around the world.

With the launch of Opadry® SGR, Rapid Sugar Film Coating System, Colorcon presents an innovative way for companies to lower their total cost of manufacture for sugar coating, using a more convenient and faster coating system. This new aqueous system delivers a more streamlined application process, reduces coating time from days to hours and improves manufacturing safety through the elimination of organic solvents.

Applying science and automation to the art of sugar coating, Opadry SGR means you can quickly transform your coating process with a faster and more reproducible method using standard spray coating equipment.

Read More »

Speed and Simplicity with METHOCEL™ DC2

Through breakthrough technology, METHOCEL™ DC2 Premium Cellulose Ethers delivers up to 60 percent savings in process time and cost compared to wet granulation and achieves comparable or better performance in tablet properties and drug release for matrix formulations. Direct compression with METHOCEL™ DC2 can deliver 60% savings in processing time and cost while providing better protection for heat- and moisture-sensitive actives.

Available through the Colorcon and Dow Controlled Release Alliance, METHOCEL™ DC2 is innovative particle-engineered hypromellose (HPMC) optimized to improve dry powder flow for use in direct compression. As a pure polymer, with no added ingredients or co-processed flow aids, METHOCEL™ DC2 meets all compendial requirements.

To learn more about how you can gain efficiency and cost savings for matrix tablet manufacturing click here »

Size Matters for Sugar Spheres

Selecting the correct sugar sphere size is critical for successful formulation, processing, and efficiency in manufacturing a multiparticulate drug product. Formulators often select smaller spheres to allow filling in the smallest size capsule shell possible; however, this approach could present challenges. In general, smaller spheres are more difficult to coat as they tend to agglomerate. Smaller spheres also have a larger surface area and require higher weight gain of barrier membrane coating, resulting in longer processing time.

For over a decade, Colorcon has been offering a total solution for multiparticulate systems (from core sugar spheres, coating for drug layering and functional coating).

Our technical teams have developed knowledge and expertise for multiparticulate systems, with a special focus in understanding the critical parameters for sugar spheres as a drug layering substrate.

FDA guidance suggests selecting and matching the capsule size for a multiparticulate dosage form, but not the substrate size of the sugar spheres. This flexibility allows the formulator to choose the right size sphere. To assist in the selection of the optimal size of Suglets® Sugar Spheres, Colorcon has developed a proprietary tool, My Dosage Design™. This tool provides a virtual comparison of Suglets sugar sphere size as the starting substrate. Based on formulator input (e.g., drug dose and final capsule size), the tool also predicts volume growth of the sphere after drug layering and functional coating. Using the My Dosage Design™ tool the formulator can compare smaller to larger sphere size, predict functional coating film thickness (to match the release profile performance), and confirm the final capsule size of the dosage form.

As size clearly matters, your Colorcon technical team would like to extend this tool to you and your team, to streamline your sphere choice.

To learn more click here for a recent study, showing the benefits of choosing a larger sugar sphere as the starting substrate, when developing a modified release multiparticulate dosage form.

On-Demand Film Coating Dispersion

In current batch manufacturing processes, mixing times for coating dispersions are usually between 30 and 60 minutes to ensure homogeneity and avoid the presence of lumps or agglomerates that can clog spray guns. But the volume of dispersion needed during manufacture can reach hundreds of liters, depending on the scale, and may require large tank and mixing areas repeating the process, again and again. Tank size, mixer configuration and placement, liquid volume and many other factors also influence the process. Plus, preparation in advance of large batch sizes intended for use over several days, may introduce the risk of microbial growth.

Understanding these challenges, Colorcon recently evaluated the feasibility of “on-demand,” continuous coating dispersion preparation using an innovative powder injector system. The concept allows for film coating dispersions to be prepared as needed, or in a constant manner, rather than in large batch tanks with long hold times.

In a recent study, low viscosity Opadry II and Opadry QX film coating systems which hydrate rapidly were shown to be well suited for this technology.

Learn more »

News

Manufacturing Operations Restored in Puerto Rico

Colorcon is pleased to announce that our manufacturing plant in Humacao, Puerto Rico is now fully operational. All critical operating systems were assessed to ensure that the facility could resume production operations. The full site assessment completed on Dec. 20, 2017, shows the facility is now fully operational.

Colorcon is committed to continuing to manufacture in Puerto Rico, which is an integral part of the manufacturing network and business continuity plan (BCP) that Colorcon has around the world for film coatings.

Colorcon Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in India

Public Private Partnership (PPP) with the Government of Goa

Colorcon Asia Pvt. Ltd. has recently initiated a PPP in healthcare under its CSR program. The MoU signing of the PPP took place at the Secretariat in Goa on 14th November, 2017 and was signed by the Honorable Health Minister of Goa, Mr. Vishwajit Rane.

With our presence in Goa, Colorcon has gained an understanding of where its CSR programs are needed. We successfully work with various government bodies at local and state level to deliver impactful CSR programs.

The primary focus is on Healthcare as we commit to improve access for the underprivileged. We partner with the Government, where possible, and make efforts to play a supplementary role to the existing health infrastructure. Colorcon also supports access to quality education, vital to ensure social progress.

More »

 

For more information on any products or services mentioned in this newsletter, please Contact Us!

North America
+1-215-699-7733

Latin America
+54-11- 5556-7700

Europe/Middle East/Africa
+44-(0)-1322-293000

India
+91-832-6727373

China
+86-21-61982300

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