Preparation of drug-diluent hybrid powders by dry processing.

New hybrid powders have been produced by the dry processing of six drugs (oxyphenbutazone, prednisolone, theophylline, indomethacin, phenacetin and aspirin), with potato starch used as a core material, by means of an electric mortar and a powder surface reforming system designed to produce hybrid powders. The hybrid powders obtained immediately after production differed in their structure from interactive mixtures. With the hybrid powders the drug was spread on the surface of the core particle by friction and collision that occurred in the dry process, but with interactive mixtures the drug simply adhered as intact particles to the surface of diluent particles. Scanning electron microscopy and powder X-ray diffractometry indicated that the mechanochemical phenomenon was essential for the production of the hybrid powders. With time, a shape change in the adhering drug was observed as a relaxation process took place, with recrystallization resulting from the release of accumulated energy. The change with time might depend upon the method of producing powders and the physical properties of the drug used, e.g. the smooth layer of indomethacin produced by the powder surface reforming system reverted to fine particles tightly adhering to the starch surface, though no change was observed with prednisolone.