Capsule filling and molding

Capsule filling and molding are common technologies suitable for powder, liquid, and semisolid formulations. Atomized lipid excipients are used as lubricants, glidants, and flow aids for capsule filling with powders. Semisolid and liquid lipid excipients are mainly used as solubility enhancers in hard and soft capsules.

Advantages of lipid excipients for capsule filling and molding:

• high compatibility with capsule shell due to low impurity levels
• liquid and semisolid vehicles suitable for highly potent drugs
• high drug loading
• low melt viscosity and rapid solidification after molding
• chemical inertness, preventing incompatibilities with other excipients or with drug

Range of functional excipients for capsule filling/molding:

• Lubricants
  • Precirol^® ATO 5—for pharmaceutical hard gelatin capsules
• Solubility and oral bioavailability enhancers
  The most commonly used excipients of this type are:
  • Gelucire^® 44/14—semisolid lipid for hard capsule molding
  • Labrasol^® ALF—liquid lipid for soft capsule filling
  • Geloil^® SC—vehicle for suspensions in soft gelatin capsules
• API protection
  • Gelucire^® 43/01—matrix-forming agent for protection of actives sensitive to oxidation, humidity, or light
• Oily vehicle / suspending agent
  • Geloil^® SC—vehicle for suspensions in soft gelatin capsules