METHOCEL™ Premium Cellulose Ethers (Low Viscosity)
METHOCEL™ Premium grades are well established for use in the pharmaceutical industry. There are two premium types, methylcellulose (MC) and hypromellose (HPMC), meeting USP, JP and Ph. Eur. standards.
Applications
Tablet Binder
- METHOCEL™ E5LV and E15LV may be used as binders in the wet granulation of tablets at a level of 3-5% of finished tablet weight.
- E15LV produces stronger granules compared to those made with E5LV, which means disintegration and dissolution times may be affected as harder tablets are produced.
Thickener and Suspending Agent
- METHOCEL™ is useful in many cream, ointment, suspension formulations, including ophthalmic preparations as a viscosity modifier. E4M and K4M Premium grades are most frequently used.
- E grades are used in systems requiring high clarity, and where ease of filtration is an important parameter.
- METHOCEL™ Premium MC polymers (A chemistry designation) are used as suspending agents in liquid systems.
Tablet Sealing
- METHOCEL™ is readily soluble in gastric juices and water, thus providing good bioavailability. Being insoluble in sucrose syrup, it is also useful for sealing tablet cores prior to sugar coating.
METHOCEL™ is a trademark of The Dow Chemical Company
