A novel pH- and time-based multi-unit potential colonic drug delivery system. II. Optimization of multiple response variables.

The objective of this work was to optimize a novel potential colonic drug delivery system by using a statistical procedure. Pellets were prepared by powder layering of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) on nonpareils (0.5--0.6 mm) in a coating pan. Drug-layered pellets were coated with an inner layer of a combination of Eudragit RL and RS and an outer layer of Eudragit FS in a fluidized-bed apparatus. Central composite design was used to study the effect of three independent variables. The proportion of the more hydrophilic polymer Eudragit RL had the most significant effect on drug release--higher proportion gave faster release; the amount of inner and outer coat did not have a significant effect on the rate of drug release at either 6 or 12 h in the range studied. A second order polynomial equation was fitted to the data, and the resulting equation was used to predict the responses in the optimal region. An optimized formulation was prepared and evaluated for individual responses. The experimental values of the response variables highly agreed with the predicted values. The results demonstrated the reliability of the model in the preparation of coated pellets having predictable drug release for colonic delivery of 5-ASA.