Melt-in-Mouth Pellets of Fexofenadine Hydrochloride Using Crospovidone as an Extrusion–Spheronisation Aid

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) is well established as an extrusion spheronisation aid for the preparation of pellets. Crospovidone (Polyplasdone® XL-10) is compared with microcrystalline cellulose for the preparation of melt-in-mouth pellets. Taste-masked fexofenadine hydrochloride was incorporated in the melt-in-mouth formulation. Crospovidone was found to be well suited as extrusion–spheronisation aid for the preparation of melt-in-mouth pellets. The great advantage of crospovidone is, however, the disintegrating properties of the pellets after only a short time of exposure to liquid. Crospovidone was successfully employed as an extrusion–spheronisation aid to produce melt-in-mouth pellets obviating the need of a traditional extrusion–spheronisation aid, MCC. Dual properties of Crospovidone were explored viz. as an extrusion–spheronisation aid and a disintegrant.