A new formulation - development and evaluation of brahmi tablets made by direct compression

Abstract

Author(s): Umesh Kumar Sharma, Jisha Gopi

This research project entailed in developing and Evaluation new formulation by the direct compression of  –an essentially non-compressible material originating from brahmi extract drawn from Bacopa Monnieri leaf which is a Certified Organic Herbs. The challenge of finding adequate excipients to compress brahmi was combined to the challenge of maintaining similar weight and appearance to that of the currently marketed brahmi tablets. These challenges stemmed from the fact that the current formulation is composed of 80 % brahmi Powder, which created significant limitation for introducing compressible excipients. To overcome these challenges, currently marketed brahmi tablets are generally manufactured through wet granulation prior to compression, a process that is rather laborious and costly. The water acts as a binder in the granulation process, which allows the tablets to maintain their strength and integrity. However, wetting, drying and testing the granules for assay involves considerable time, labor and machinery as compared to the direct compression process. In addition to cost savings, direct compression does not require water or heat in the process, which could potentially reduce hydrolysis and oxidation of the active principle and enhance product stability. The development of brahmi formulation for direct compression was conducted in six experimental designs, where batches of brahmi tablets were manufactured   and evaluated for hardness, friability, disintegration, appearance, average weight, moisture and assay, as the project progressed. The results were compared to defined specifications which were based on the currently available products in the market. A new formulation was found in the ten experimental design, where optimal levels of hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, lactose and croscarmellose sodium were identified. Tablet properties emerging from this formulation met all defined specifications at the time of manufacture and also after six months accelerated stability conducted as per the International Conference on Harmonisation guidelines. In conclusion of this project, a successful formulation for the direct compression of brahmi was discovered through “Design of Experiments” and “Quality by Design” methodologies. Furthermore, this efficient approach could be used again to develop other formulation presenting similar challenges and could potentially accelerate product launch in respective pharmaceutical markets.