Oral Abstracts

Focal Point Extension of the use of jet dispensing, for the preparation of multi-layered films for the co-delivery of three antihypertensive agents. Introduction Printing technologies have gained momentum in recent years as they can be used for fabrication of on-demand personalised dosage forms. Recently, Scoutaris et al. reported the use of jet dispensing as a rapid and reproducible method for the preparation of taste-masked thin films with excellent content uniformity. Aim The aim of the work was to use jet dispensing technology for the preparation of films which combine multiple drugs with different dose and independent release profiles. Methods Ethyl cellulose (EC) and Kollidon VA64 (PVP) were used as film-forming polymers and the drugs printed were: hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), amiloride hydrochloride hydrate (AMI) and carvedilol (CARV). A three-course dispensing protocol using a DispenseMate 583 jet dispenser was used for the preparation of the films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray powder diffraction were used for the morphological and solid-state characterisation of the films. The dissolution profile of the films was assessed using the paddle method at pH:1.2 for the first two hours, followed by phosphate buffer at pH: 6.8. Results and Discussion Films of 1 cm were prepared by jet dispensing. SEM revealed the composite structure of the films which comprised three layers. The XRPD patterns of the films exhibited an amorphous halo with some characteristic peaks that can be attributed to HCTZ. Thus, all the components of the films are in the amorphous state apart from HCTZ which is (partially) crystalline. When an increased amount of PVP was used in the films, the intensity of HCTZ peaks was reduced, indicating that PVP was suppressing crystallisation. Dissolution studies revealed the immediate release of amiloride followed by the sustained release of HCTZ and CARV. PVP was found to enhance dissolution performance of the formulation due to its function as a pore former. While future studies should focus on optimising drug release from each layer, this preliminary study highlights the great potential of jet dispensing as a method for the preparation of personalised film formulations containing drug combinations.