INTRODUCTION
Hot melt extrusion (HME) technology has gained a significant interest in recent years. Even
though this technique has been used in the plastics and food industries for decades, it is
relatively new in the pharmaceutical industry and only a few drug products (based on polyethylene
glycol or copovidone) are currently available on the market (1, 2). Hot melt extrusion technology
shows numerous benefits over traditional/classical methods including shorter processing times due to
continuous downstream processes, environmental advantages due to elimination of solvents, and
increased efficiency in delivery of drugs to the patient (3).
BASF has introduced a new polymeric solubilizer, Soluplus®, a graft copolymer comprised of polyethylene
glycol, polyvinylcaprolactam and polyvinylacetate. Its unique chemistry coupled with granular and
solubilization characteristics are important in the development of solid solutions by hot melt extusion (4) ...