Hot melt extrusion technique and its pharmaceutical applications: A review

Abstract

Significance of hot-melt extrusion techniques for pharmaceutical applications is growing rapidly over the last three decades. Industrial malleability has allowed hot-melt extrusion (HME) to gain wide acceptance and has already established  its  importance  in  manufacturing  operations  and  pharmaceutical  research  developments.  Hot-melt extrusion techniques provide time controlled, modified, extended, and targeted drug delivery resulting in improved bioavailability as well as taste masking of bitter active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). HME offers several advantages over traditional pharmaceutical processing techniques including the absence of solvents, few processing steps, continuous operation, and the possibility of the formation of solid dispersions and improved bioavailability. Hot-melt extrusion techniques are pragmatic in the manufacture of a variety of dosage forms and formulations such as granules, pellets, tablets, suppositories, implants, stents, transdermal systems and ophthalmic inserts.