Ethanol-resistant ethylcellulose/guar gum coatings – Importance of formulation parameters

Abstract Recently, ethylcellulose/guar gum blends have been reported to provide ethanol-resistant drug release kinetics from coated dosage forms. This is because the ethanol insoluble guar gum effectively avoids undesired ethylcellulose dissolution in ethanol-rich bulk fluids. However, so far the importance of crucial formulation parameters, including the minimum amount of guar gum to be incorporated and the minimum required guar gum viscosity, remains unclear. The aim of this study was to identify the most important film coating properties, determining whether or not the resulting drug release kinetics is ethanol-resistant. Theophylline matrix cores were coated in a fluid bed with blends of the aqueous ethylcellulose dispersion “Aquacoat® ECD 30” and guar gum. The polymer blend ratio, guar gum viscosity, and degree of dilution of the final coating dispersion were varied. Importantly, it was found that more than 5% guar gum (referred to the total polymer content) must be incorporated in the film coating and that the apparent viscosity of a 1% aqueous guar gum solution must be greater than 150 cP to provide ethanol-resistance. In contrast, the investigated degree of coating dispersion dilution was not found to be decisive for the ethanol sensitivity. Furthermore, all investigated formulations were long term stable, even upon open storage under stress conditions for 6 months.