2-25-04
Welcome back for this week's Capsule. The new computer system is up and running, all systems are go.
Meet Bill at Pittcon
Are you going to Pittcon this year? If so, Hanson is displaying their newest dissolution data system, "Bill." So why don't you stop by and "Meet Bill."
What Is an Orally Disintegrating Tablet?
Orally disintegrating tablets are a growing field in the Pharmaceutical Industry. Their interaction with the sense of taste pose a special problem. Read this informative article on this problem. "A major component of success in orally disintegrating tablets (ODT) is good taste. If the product does not taste good, patients and physicians will find another ODT or other product that does taste good. ODT technology is relatively new to the industry and has had a significant impact on patients of all ages. ODT tablets dissolve or disintegrate in the oral cavity in a relatively short time and do not need to be swallowed with water. This has made taking medication easier, especially for children and the elderly, who have traditionally had difficulties swallowing more conventional dosage forms. The single most significant issue with ODT is the bitterness of the drug that can be exposed as the tablet breaks apart. Skillful taste masking is needed to hide this bitterness,...more"
Varian Launches New Dissolution Tester With Direct Vessel Heating
"Varian has expanded its V-Series line of dissolution testers by introducing the VK 7030 with patented Direct Vessel Heating (DVH), designed to improve productivity, efficiency and automation for pharmaceutical laboratories." Varian Bakes the heating element directly onto the inside of the glass vessel...more.
Dropping Method Solution for Formulating Solid Dispersions
"The dropping method, developed by Ulrich et al. to facilitate the crystallization of different chemicals, is a new procedure for producing round particles from melted solid dispersions. This technique may overcome some of the difficulties inherent in the other methods...more."
Quote of the Week
I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him
--Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
2-20-04
Dear Colleagues, welcome for this week's Capsule. I finally installed a new hard drive, uploaded the drivers, and reinstalled software. I visited ASTM Headquarters last week. I am on the committee that is developing the ASTM standards for PAT.
ASTM, I believe, is the organization that will set the standards for PAT that the pharmaceutical industry will be following. They have been setting similar standards for other industries, and now the pharmaceutical companies are catching up. Keep an eye out for ASTM.
Calibration Anyone?
Stranaska LLC, the highly regarded analytical metrology company announces the introduction of a new technical journal, the Stranaska Journal of Applied Research and Measurement Analytics. The publication's debut coincides with the launch of Stranaska's totally new, re-designed website, www.Stranaska.com. During the month of February, the company is offering a Charter Subscription Early Bird Discount.
Erweka QA Station
ERWEKA now offers a complete computerized and automatic QA station to perform the entire qualification process for Dissolution Testers. This system is able to perform and store the qualification results for: 1. Temperature for bath and vessels, 2. Horizontality, 3. Vibration, 4. Stirrer Speed, 5. Centricity, 6. Wobble, 7. Method Height Adjustment. The whole process is performed without any intervention by the user and there is therefore no data manipulation involved. The system complies with all known regulations including 21 CFR Part 11. The system uses state of the art software such as MS.Net, ASP.Net and MS SQL - server controls the whole process and makes this system revolutionary!
What's New?
Hanson Research, the pioneer in dissolution technology and engineering for over 50 years, is pleased to introduce Bill, a new Dissolution Data System (DDS) for corporate-wide LIMS interfacing. Developed in an exclusive partnership with Labtronics Inc., Bill creates a seamless digital link between Hanson's world-class dissolution testing instruments and Labtronics' LimsLink, the industry's top Laboratory Information Management System interface.
Quote of the Week
The great tragedy of science -- the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact.
--Thomas Huxley
2-18-04
Yes, I did mean Friday when I changed last week's blog. I will be updating this week's capsule on Friday for this week only. I am busy replacing my hard drive and reinstalling software. I will be waiting for 2 days while I crawl under the website, kick the tires, and open the hood of the internet.
2-11-04
Another week, and I'm sitting here waiting for my limo. I'm attending a PAT committee meeting at ASTM headquarters, in West Coshohoken Pennsylvania. Top representatives from government, pharmaceuticals, academia, and instrument companies are attending. Distek sent two representatives to the last meeting. I guess they are taking PAT very seriously. Good for you, Distek.
Rumors, Rumors, Rumors
So I hate to start rumors. But this one is true. Rumor has it that a third edition of "Hanson's Handbook of Dissolution" is being worked on in a joint venture between two powerful names in the industry. Keep an eye open for an end of 2004 publishing.
my limo is here... more tomorrow next Friday.
I won't be around much this week.
2-5-04
Have you ever lost track of days of the week? Well I did this week. Wednesday went by and Thursday came. What happened?
New Formulation Designed to Rapidly Release in the Stomach, Speedier Dissolution
"The rapid-release technology of new Imitrex tablets works differently from oral disintegrating tablets, also known as oral melts, which dissolve on the tongue. New Imitrex tablets, which replace the old tablets, are swallowed whole with water like conventional tablets. The new formulation has been designed to dissolve within minutes. In an invitro study, the new tablet dissolved five times faster than conventional tablets - which may allow the drug to be absorbed into the blood stream quickly. Further studies are needed to establish the relationship between dissolution and efficacy...more"
Medicare Bill Contains Significant Changes for Drug Manufacturers
Here's an article I found that you may be interested in. While most of these changes are high level,, they will significantly impact the pharmaceutical industry. Here's another on the FDA's final Generic rule.
Book of the Week
"This work bridges the compartmentalized undergraduate organic and biochemistry and biology subjects to the pharmacology and the clinical areas a modern pharmacy practice requires. The changes and constantly increasing responsibilities of today's pharmacist have dictated a restructuring of the pharmacy curriculum, including individual course content. This book reflects and addresses these developments. This is a well-written work that covers most major areas of pharmaceutical research. The text is presented in a logical and concise fashion being divided into chapters based upon therapeutic topic. This makes the work very useful for teaching a course in medicinal chemistry since therapeutic areas can be separately covered without having to make use of the entire book which overall contains a tremendous amount of information. This book is a significant contribution to understanding what medicinal chemistry is and how this science is used to develop new therapeutic agents...more"
Measurement Techniques
A mathematician, a physicist and a chemist are each given 50 dollars to measure the height of a building.
The mathematician buys a ruler and a sextant, and by determining the angle subtended by the building a certain distance away from the base, he establishes the height of the building.
The physicist buys a heavy ball and a stopwatch, climbs to the top of the building and drops the ball. By measuring the time it takes to hit the bottom, he establishes the height of the building.
The chemist puts forty dollars into his pocket. By slipping the doorman the other ten, he establishes the height of the building.