The compaction properties of mixtures of ibuprofen and hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose

Abstract

The consolidation and compaction properties of hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose K4M and ibuprofen, and their binary mixtures were evaluated. Powders were compressed using a high-speed compaction simulator at different compression speeds, i.e. 15, 140 and 300 mm/s. Non-linear relationships between tensile strength and composition were found in all the compression speeds studied. Tablets of the individual materials produced at the highest compression speed studied (300 mm/s) had much lower tensile strengths than those produced at the slowest compression speed (15 mm/s). Interestingly, at a compression force of 10 kN, tablets containing 25 and 50% w/w ibuprofen had slightly greater tensile strengths when compressed at the higher compression speed. However, the compression speed did not affect the strength of tablets containing 5, 10, 25 and 50% ibuprofen.