The pharmaceutical industry faces many challenges, as it must produce drugs with the highest quality standards at prices that are accessible to the population seeking to heal some ailment. In this sense, it is necessary to sustain intermediate and final quality parameters in the production process of drug manufacture, constantly making appropriate measurements.
The companies in this sector work hard to produce drugs effectively, safely and strictly complying with the regulations of this industry, in order to guarantee to the doctor, the pharmacist and the patient that a certain medicine will have the expected behavior in attention to the disease for which it was prescribed. In view of this, medicinal products moving to the marketing chains should be:
- Insurance.
- Use therapeutically active formulations.
- Consistent performance over time.
- Follow expected pharmacokinetics.
How does the viscometer support the development of medicines?
Throughout the manufacturing chain, feedstock supplies and production processes, which involve steps such as shaking, pumping, and filling drug container containers, should be checked regularly. This is done through frequent testing of all parameters, such as viscosity, which is carried out with the help of a viscometer.
As expected, the final product must also be evaluated in all its properties, to ensure the stability of the storage or application. Parameters such as the viscosity of the drugs that come in the form of a solution must meet the customer’s expectations so that the customer feels satisfied and trusts in the product.
The control of the drug manufacturing process, the measurement of the fluidity of products with a viscometer is one of the parameters to consider. These analyzes allow a timely management of the whole process, reducing costs, improving performance, reducing uncertainty in the behavior of the raw material and making deliveries reliable.
Why is it important to measure viscosity in solutions, suspensions and emulsions?
According to internationally recognized institutions, liquid preparations, e.g., for oral, oral or cutaneous use, may contain additives which increase viscosity. Oral suspensions and solutions for children, elderly patients or patients with swallowing problems are especially interesting. In solutions, excipients that increase viscosity contribute to, among other things:
- To improve contact time.
- Avoiding misuse of the medicine.
- To mask the taste of the preparation.
In suspensions and emulsions, stabilizers and thickeners may be used to increase the viscosity of the external phase and reduce the formation of non-dispersible or difficult-to-disperse sediments or irreversible creams. In addition, some compounds contribute to stabilization through their interfacial activity.
In addition to the use of active ingredients with a small particle size, a suspension or emulsion may be designed in such a way that, after agitation, a sufficiently stable preparation is produced from which the prescribed dose can be consistently withdrawn. Thus, it can be indicated that the main function of increasing viscosity:
- Stabilize pharmaceutical preparations composed of dispersed systems lacking stability: immiscible liquids that separate or solids that settle (suspensions).
- Slowing down phase separation processes.
When selecting the compounds used, care should be taken to ensure that there are no incompatibilities with the other constituents and that the fluidity and, in the case of preparations for ingestion or for use in the oral cavity, the taste is not adversely affected.
Why use a circulation bath for Kalstein viscometer?
Kalstein’s circulation baths for viscometer serve as invaluable support in the synthesis of medicines, which merit precise control of viscosity, at all stages of production. This equipment, which can be found on the HERE website, or specifically on this HERE link, offers some very interesting features: precise temperature control (indispensable in all viscosity measures), stainless steel cover to prevent oxidation and quiet operation. To find out more about this equipment you can review the technical specifications directly on the website, where you can also manage the purchase, review the price and learn more about the wide range of equipment offered by this manufacturer.