Hot melt extrusion technology, approach of solubility enhancement: A brief review

During the developmental process, there is an estimated 40 to 70% incidence of delay or failure for new drug entities due to poor biopharmaceutical properties such as poor solubility, poor permeability and poor chemical stability. Hot melt extrusion (HME) technology may provide the answer. HME, a solid-dispersion technology, has gained popularity in the pharmaceutical industry as a means of improving the solubility of drugs. HME has several areas of application, including bioavailability enhancement, oral controlled release, the production of advanced controlled release forms, and melt granulation. HME can be used to create many dosage forms and is compatible with process analytical technology. It is a continuous process with less offline testing, fewer operator interventions, and can be scaled up easily to improve efficiency and decrease operating costs. This review encompasses the brief idea about instruments, materials, optimization of process and applications of HME.