Fine-particle ethylcellulose as a tablet binder in direct compression, immediate-release tablets

Ethylcellulose has traditionally been used in tablets as a binder in an alcohol solution form. In the present study, fine-particle ethylcellulose (FPEC) was used as a binder to manufacture immediate-release tablets by the direct compression technique. The binding potential of FPEC is compared to that of commercially available coarse-particle ethylcellulose at the same viscosity grade and to that of hydrophilic binders. The compression force setting was kept constant for all batches. The concentration of the binder was varied from 5% to 25%. Acetaminophen was used as a model drug because capping is a problem frequently observed during high-speed compaction and further processing of acetaminophen tablets. In this study, there would be an increase in the contact area with FPEC and hence greater bond formation. This greater bond formation should be able to reduce the problem of capping in tablets containing highly elastic materials such as acetaminophen. Tablets were evaluated based on the following tests: weight variation, extent of capping, hardness, friability, disintegration, and dissolution. Based on the results of these tests, FPEC proved to be an effective binder for directly compressed acetaminophen tablets. The 10% and 15% formulations of FPEC passed all the tests and also produced the hardest tablets.