ENHANCEMENT OF DISSOLUTION RATE OF NIFEDIPINE USING SUCROSE ESTER COPRECIPITATES

The dissolution rate enhancement properties of sucrose esters were evaluated. Coprecipitates of nifedipine with different sucrose esters were prepared and drug dissolution and the stability of drug dissolution were studied. The use of sucrose palmitate of high HLB value dramatically improved the dissolution rate, especially when a drug/ester ratio of 1:14 was used. Increasing the drug/ester ratio produced a more amorphous product, progressively increasing the dissolution rate. Although the results are promising, the use of sucrose esters is probably very much restricted due to their hydrolytic instability during storage and the progressively increasing crystallinity of the coprecipitate.