Ruey-ching (Richard) Hwang, PhD

Ruey-ching (Richard) Hwang, PhD, is a senior director of pharmaceutical sciences at Pfizer and a member of Pharmaceutical Technologys editorial advisory board.

An ambitious survey of characterization techniques presents current information.

The technique of continuous coating has undergone great change since it was introduced to the pharmaceutical industry more than a decade ago, and its benefits have multiplied.

All pharmaceutical products are formulated to specific dosage forms for drugs to be effectively delivered to patients. Typical pharmaceutical dosage forms include oral tablets, capsules, solutions, suspensions, topical ointments, gels, and solutions, and injections for intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM), or subcutaneous (SC) administration. In addition, various drug delivery systems have been developed for transdermal, intranasal, and pulmonary deliveries. Different dosage forms require different pharmaceutical technologies and usually present different technical challenges for formulation development.

Using formulations containing various types of lactose and dibasic calcium phosphate, the authors investigated the effects of lubricant level, lubrication time, and compression speed on tablet weight, hardness, and friability.