Microbeads produced by prilling/vibration technique: A new way to use polyvinyl alcohol in pediatric and veterinary formulations

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is a widely used synthetic polymer and due to its hydrophilicity, biocompatibility, and biodegradability, it is considered a suitable polymer for the formulation of drug delivery systems. In this study, PVA was used in a prilling/vibration technology as a pharmaceutical grade excipient to produce microbeads for oral administration that improve class II drugs' solubility and dissolution rate according to the Biopharmaceutical Classification System (BCS). Specifically, Ibuprofen (IBU) is a weakly acidic drug with low solubility at pH 1.2 and Ketoconazole (KETO), a weakly basic drug characterized by low solubility at pH 6.8. These drugs were selected because of their requirements for specific dosing conditions in children or animals, which often differ from commercially available conventional drugs. The microbeads produced were fully characterized in terms of drug loading, encapsulation efficiency, size, morphology, and drug release experiments were also conducted in a gastric fluid for IBU-loaded microbeads and simulated intestinal fluid for KETO-loaded microbeads. Finally, PVA microbeads were compared with an amorphous solid dispersion (ASDs) of the respective APIs, showing the same increase in solubility and dissolution rate. Therefore, the use of the prilling/vibration technology to produce PVA-based microbeads containing BCS class II drugs improves solubility and dissolution profile, which represent fundamental requirements for good bioavailability. Furthermore, the manufactured microbeads provide a high degree of dosing flexibility, making them suitable for administration in pediatric or veterinary patients with swallowing difficulties and requiring customized dosing.