Sustained and Controlled Release

With years of experience, our R&D team built a professional, quality-controlled R&D platform with a comprehensive R&D system for sustained and controlled release DPs. We also developed a range of dosage forms, including sustained-release pellets, gastro-retentive tablets, gel- and wax-matrix tablets, enteric-coated tablets, and osmotic pump tablets.

Applications

●  Sustained release: Hydrogel matrix (e.g., HPMC) and wax matrix (e.g., glyceryl behenate) tablets enable sustained release through matrix erosion or pore diffusion.；

Representative products: Metformin hydrochloride sustained-release tablets and combination products, trazodone hydrochloride sustained-release tablets, and diclofenac sodium sustained-release tablets.

●  Enteric coating: Novel pH-dependent polymer resins (e.g., acrylic resins or cellulose ethers) enable site-specific release of drugs in the distal gastrointestinal tract, which reduces gastric irritation, enhances local drug concentration, and facilitates targeted delivery；

Representative products: Aspirin enteric-coated tablets, mesalazine enteric-coated tablets, and rabeprazole sodium enteric-coated tablets.

●  Osmotics: The osmotic pump technology controls drug release by leveraging osmotic pressure and semipermeable membranes. Currently, osmotic pump tablets are the most commonly used. They consist of the drug, osmogens, and swelling agent in a tablet core, coated with a semipermeable membrane with delivery orifices. Semipermeable membranes are typically made of cellulose acetates. Common osmogens include salts and sugars, such as sodium chloride and sucrose. Swelling agents are usually swelling materials, such as polyethylene oxide (PEO) and hypromellose (HPMC). After ingestion, GI fluid penetrates into the core through the semipermeable membrane, promoting constant, controlled release of the dissolved drug through the orifices (laser drilled or microporous), driven by the osmotic pressure and swelling agents.

Representative products: Glipizide controlled-release tablets, paliperidone controlled-release tablets, and nifedipine controlled-release tablets.

Equipment