Sounding out stability of enteric coated dosage forms using Broadband Acoustic Resonance Dissolution Spectroscopy (BARDS)

Stability testing is essential in the pharmaceutical industry to determine product shelf- life and the conditions under which drug products should be stored. Stability testing involves a complex set of procedures, considerable cost, time, and scientific expertise to build quality, efficacy and safety in a drug formulation. This paper highlights a new complementary approach to stability testing called Broadband Acoustic Resonance Dissolution Spectroscopy (BARDS). BARDS measurements are based on reproducible changes in the compressibility of a solvent during dissolution. It is monitored acoustically via associated changes in the frequency of induced acoustic resonances. This study presents a novel approach to track the change of various drug formulations to determine the formulation's stability. Pellets, tablet and multiple-unit pellet system (MUPS) formulations were investigated to examine the effect of polymer coating and formulation core degradation over time. In combination with minimal usage of Ultra Violet - Visible Spectroscopy, BARDS can effectively track these changes. The technique offers a rapid approach to characterizing pharmaceutical formulations. BARDS can enable rapid development of solid drug formulation dissolution and disintegration testing as an In-Process Control test and drug stability analysis. The data show that a solid oral dose formulation has an intrinsic acoustic signature specific to the method of manufacture, excipient composition and elapsed time since the production of a product. BARDS data are also indicative of which aspect of a formulation may be unstable, whether a coating, sub-coating or core. It is potentially a time-efficient, cost-effective and greener approach to testing coating stability, disintegration and overall formulation stability.