Simple methods for estimating percent disintegrated--time data.

Abstract

Two techniques are described for the treatment of dissolution rates to estimate the percent disintegrated--time data for tablets and capsules. The first is an extension of an equation derived previously with the assumption of first-order disintegration and dissolution processes; whereas, the second involves the determination of the rate constant from the terminal segment of the curve and the use of numerical derivatives according to a disintegration kinetics-independent approach. The dissolution data of six commercial tablet and capsule formulations were treated according to the described techniques. Good agreement was found between the percent disintegrated--time data estimated by the second approach for an acetaminophen tablet and those obtained by a well-established model where a Weibull function was employed.