Physicochemical properties of amorphous clarithromycin obtained by grinding and spray drying.

In order to characterize the amorphous clarithromycin (CAM) obtained by grinding and spray drying, physicochemical properties (crystallinity, thermal behavior, stability and solubility parameters) were evaluated. From powder X-ray diffraction, it was estimated that the crystalline state of CAM was changed into an amorphous state by grinding and spray drying. In differential scanning calorimetry measurements, both broad and sharp peaks for crystallization were observed in ground samples, whereas spray dried samples showed one broad peak due to crystallization. As to the stability test under high humidity, structural difference was confirmed between ground CAMs and spray dried CAM. The heat of dissolution of ground CAMs was greater than that of intact CAM. In the solubility parameter measurement, the increase of the special term, deltas, indicated that the energy change was due to the polarity of the surface energy of the powder particles by grinding.