Eurand International S.p.a.

Eurand Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.

Vectorpharma International S.p.a.

Aptalis Pharma Limited

I Love My Body Research S.r.l.

Aptalis Pharma S.r.l.

Luca Dobetti

Massimo Bresciani

Fabio Carli

Luigi Giovanni Mapelli

Pierandrea Esposito

Leonardo Rabaglia

Luigi Boltri

Lorenzo Magarotto

Daniela Lombardi

A method of hair analysis based on microscope pictures of the hair in polarized light includes a hair conditioning phase performed in a container made of polyethylene or a polymer being in a position lower than polyethylene in the triboelectric series; this is followed by a hair testing phase in which polarized light microscope images of the hair, contacted with a turpentine oil, are taken and further processed using unmixing to obtain information on the amount of analytes present in the hair. Advantageously the present method shows high accuracy even in presence of accidental movements applied to the microscope/sample to be analyzed, such as possibly occurring during daily laboratory practice. Also advantageously, the high accuracy is maintained when different operators are involved in the procedure, being thus substantially unaffected by different ways of manipulating/preparing/photographing the hair sample.

Method for hair analysis by polarized light

The present invention refers to a process to prepare a highly activated composite of one or more water-insoluble drugs, said process comprising the steps of: (a) subjecting said water-insoluble drug and a cross-linked polymer to co-grinding; (b) exposing the ground product of step a. to contact with water or water vapors. The resulting composite contains large amounts of drug in the easily soluble amorphous form, reduced amounts of drug in the nanocrystalline form, and is substantially free from practically insoluble drug crystals.

Process of thermodynamical activation of water-insoluble drugs loaded into cross-linked polymers

A process is described for the activation (increase in solubility and bioavailability) of drugs. The process, carried out in a vibrational mill, is characterised by the use of given proportions between the physical mixture made up of drug and pharmaceutical carrier and the empty volume among the grinding means contained inside the mill. The process leads to obtaining powders for pharmaceutical use in which the drug has a high and constant degree of activation; this result is obtainable irrespective of the nature of the drug and carrier used, and of their weight ratio.

Process for activation of drugs in a vibrational mill

The invention comprises a process for activating drugs by means of high-energy co-grinding of the drug with a pharmaceutical carrier, characterized by the use of a vibrational mill equipped with means that regulate the vibration frequency. The process, performed by modifying the frequency of vibration and keeping its amplitude constant, produces drug/carrier composites with a constant particle size in which the degree of drug activation increases in proportion to the frequency applied. The invention also includes a vibrational mill suitably modified to perform the process described.

Drug activation process and vibrational mill therefor

The invention provides a process for microencapsulating a pharmaceutical substrate comprising the steps of: a) adding insoluble or sparingly soluble particles of the substrate to be microencapsulated to a stable buffer solution having a high ionic strength; b) dissolving a membrane-forming ionic polymer in the buffer; c) forming a coacervate by adding a water-complexing compound causing phase separation of the resulting mixture; and d) allowing the deposition of the coacervate onto the substrate so as to create a coating of polymer around the substrate.

Method for production of microcapsules

This invention provides a formulation for preparing a fast disintegrating tablet comprising a drug in multiparticulate form, one or more water insoluble inorganic excipients, one or more disintegrants, and optionally one or more substantially water soluble excipients, the amounts of said ingredients being such as to provide a disintegration time for the tablet in the order of 75 seconds or less, typically 30 seconds or less.

Fast disintegrating tablets

The pharmaceutical compositions including a slightly soluble drug incorporated in a water-swellable, but water-insoluble cross-linked polymer, a surface active agent, and an oil show much improved dissolution and, consequently, bioavailability in respect of the drug as is or used with a polymeric carrier of said type.

Pharmaceutical compositions including a drug, a cross-linked polymeric

There are described transdermal therapeutic compositions showing an improved shelf stability of the chemical-physical structure of the medicament and particularly useful for its cutaneous administration, said compositions consisting of a supporting rigid sheet, a polymetic matrix and a protective removable sheet, wherein said polymeric matrix consists of a polymeric film in which there are distributed particles loaded with medicaments and agents promoting the cutaneous absorption.

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Trieste, Italy

Luca Dobetti