Assignment – 1 Based on Pharmaceutical Pre-formulation and Unit processing (~1000 words)
Assignment 1 – Total marks – 25 (~ 1000 words) Part A – What is preformulation and why is it important ? (10 marks) Part B – Write an account (with appropriate examples) on how each of the following excipient’s may influence drug absorption from the Gastrointestinal (GI)Tract. a. Surfactants [3 marks] b. Lubricants and Glidants [3 marks] c. Binders [3 marks] d. Disintegrants [3 marks] e. Viscosity enhancers / suspending agents. [3 marks] Guidance: refer week 1 lecture notes and Alton’s Pharmaceutics. The design and manufacture of medicines. M .E. Alton, Churchill livingstone. Hint: extra marks for evidence of extra reading eg; references from research articles.
Assignment 2: Answer all questions. (marks 25) [> 1000 words]
A. Draw a schematic showing the steps involved in the manufacture of tablets?
[2 marks]
B. Describe in detail any seven of the steps listed in part (A), including the equipment required for such a process to occur, any equations used in the development of such a process and the mechanism of action if applicable. [14 marks]
C. What formulation strategy would you employ to bypass the absorption of the drug in the stomach. [ 2 marks]
D. Following tablet compression, 10 tablets were dusted and found to weigh 8.98 g. After removal from the friability tester they were dusted and re-weighed and collectively found to weigh 7.86 g. Discuss the significance of these results and suggest an appropriate method to improve them. [3 marks]
E. Preliminary tests on the blend found the tapped density was 8 and bulk density was 4, Calculate Carr’s compressibility index. Discuss the significance of these results and suggest an appropriate strategy to overcome any problems associated with this new powder blend [4 marks]
