Effect of some physical parameters on the sustained drug-release properties of substituted amylose matrices

Substituted amylose (SA) matrix drug tablets prepared by direct compression show sustained drug-release properties. The influence of compression force (CF) and tablet weight (TW) on release properties was studied. CF ranging from 0.5 to 5.0 tons/cm(2) has no significant effect on the release properties of SA, G (glycidol) polymers, with a degree of substitution (DS) greater than 1.5. For a low DS, an augmentation of CF increases the release time of acetaminophen, used as a model drug, until a certain limit is reached. On the other hand, TW has a major effect on the release time of acetaminophen. Release time is directly proportional to TW. The effect of the nature of the active material, its solubility and its concentration in the formulation on the release properties of SA,G polymers was also evaluated, demonstrating the versatility of the system. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.