Vol. 1 No. 2 (2025) Current Issue

Published June 24, 2025

Page 1-16: Fehér P, Papp B, Józsa L, Sinka D, Fidrus E, Nacsa F, et al. Formulation and investigation of Lactobacillus rhamnosus cek-R1 filled alginate microspheres with different excipients.

Page 17-28: Arany P, Vámosi B, Bácskay I, Fehér P. Hot-melt extrusion – filament manufacturing coupled with fused deposition modeling for 3D printed pharmaceuticals -a brief review.

Page 29-45: Bege M, Ghanem Kattoub R, Borbás A. Avacincaptad pegol, the second approved aptamer medicine – A mini review. 

Page 46-56: Bege M, Borbás A. New anticancer medicines approved by the EMA in 2024. 

Page 57-73. Kuralgaliyeva A, Vasvári G, Révész R, Haimhoffer Á, Csendes O. Process optimization for in-house, lab scale pellet bead production using twin-screw extruder and spheroniser

##issue.tableOfContents##

Articles

  • Hot-melt extrusion – filament manufacturing coupled with fused deposition modeling for 3D printed pharmaceuticals -a brief review
    Views:
    53

    3D printing or additive manufacturing are conquering many industrial fields, just as the pharmaceutical industry. There are several types of additive manufacturing processes, however one technology, the fused deposition modeling is outstanding in the pharmaceutical field. Fused deposition modelling uses filaments for printing. These filaments are made out of polymers that has diverse properties, suitable for containing active pharmaceutical ingredients for various usages. These filaments can be produced by hot-melt extrusion process, that the pharmaceutical field already uses for several formulations. In order to get a useable filament, we need more machines than just the extruder. Through the process, the feeder, the conveyor and the winder machines are necessary to get the desired homogeneity, filament diameter, and a ready to use filament roll to easily couple hot melt extrusion with fused deposition modeling. Polymers for pharmaceutical usage are already exists, including polyethylene glycols, polylactic acids, hydroxypropyl cellulose and many more. Finding polymers that has the appropriate rheological properties, heat- and chemical stability to apply in hot-melt extrusion-, and fused deposition modeling process, turned out to be challenging, but not impossible task. In conclusion, hot melt extrusion is a reliable method to produce polymer filaments for fused deposition modeling, that is suitable to print pharmaceuticals, however, the knowledge of this field is continuously expanding, thanks to the researchers around the world.

    PDF
    Downloads:
    51
  • Formulation and investigation of Lactobacillus rhamnosus cek-R1 filled alginate microspheres with different excipients
    Views:
    74

    Microspheres are spherical particles containing the active substance, in our case bacterial probiotic strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus (L. rhamnosus), in an individually coated form. L. rhamnosus is a natural constituent of the human intestinal flora and is known to improve immune function, enhance healing of the intestinal mucosa, reduce inflammation, bloating and diarrhoea.  

    The aim of our experimental work was to formulate sodium alginate microspheres containing L. rhamnosus bacterial strain as active ingredient and prebiotic (galactooligosaccharide, pectin, inulin). The microspheres were formulated using Büchi Encapsulator equipment, after which the entrapment efficiency was measured. The lyophilized product was filled into hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) capsules and was subjected to a dissolution assay using Erweka equipment. The number of viable L. rhamnosus was determined from samples of the dissolution fluid.  The microspheres are lyophilised to improve shelf-life and facilitate filling into traditional capsules. The number of viable bacteria in the lyophilizate was determined by inoculation on medium and standard microdilution test. Microspheres containing different compositions of pro- and prebiotics were formulated, and their antioxidant capacity was detected by 2,2-diphenyl-l-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). We tested the anti-inflammatory effect of the microspheres using human IL-4 ELISA Kit on colon adenocarcinoma (CaCo-2) cell line.

    pdf
    Downloads:
    45
  • Avacincaptad pegol, the second approved aptamer medicine – A mini review
    Views:
    56

    Therapeutic oligonucleotides are employed in the treatment of a variety of diseases, primarily functioning through mechanisms associated with gene silencing technologies. In contrast, aptamers exhibit mechanisms of action that are more akin to those of protein-based monoclonal antibodies. However, owing to their oligonucleotide structure, aptamers possess several advantages over antibodies. Despite these benefits, the adoption of aptamers in clinical medicine has not reached the levels observed with monoclonal antibodies or gene-silencing oligonucleotides. Almost two decades after the approval of pegaptanib, the first approved aptameric therapeutic for the treatment of neovascular AMD (age-related macular degeneration), a second aptamer has recently received approval to treat geographic atrophy, an advanced form of AMD. In this review, we aim to provide an overview of the pharmacology and chemistry of avacincaptad pegol, the second approved aptameric drug.

    pdf
    Downloads:
    47
  • New anticancer medicines approved by the EMA in 2024
    Views:
    33

    Tumorous diseases are among the leading causes of death in the developed world, therefore there is a constant need for new antineoplastic medicines. In 2024, the EMA approved 28 anticancer drugs, of which 13 contains new active substances. In this review, we briefly summarize the mechanism of action and use of the new drugs approved by the EMA.

    pdf
    Downloads:
    39
  • Process optimization for in-house, lab scale pellet bead production using twin-screw extruder and spheroniser
    Views:
    18

    Multiparticulate dosage forms are becoming more popular than single-unit forms because they offer benefits such as more consistent gastric emptying, a lower chance of dose dumping, and flexible drug release patterns [1]. Among the available production methods, extrusion-spheronization is preferred because it can handle high amounts of active ingredients without creating large particles, and it also allows for the easy combination of multiple drugs in one unit at any ratio [2]. The aim of this research is to determine the optimal parameters of the extruder, namely, the screw rotation speed, liquid addition rate and powder feeding rate, to determine the independent process parameters of the spheroniser, and to measure the loss-on-drying values, particle size distribution, and morphology of extrudates. The required machines to produce pellets are a twin-screw extruder, a spheroniser, a peristaltic pump, and a cooling system. Extrudates were obtained by using a mixture of microcrystalline cellulose, corn starch, lactose monohydrate and 10% povidone solution.

    PDF
    Downloads:
    7
Database Logos

Keywords

avacincaptad pegolaptameremaantineoplasticstwin-screw extruderspheroniserpelletskrasmacropinocytosis cancersynthesislipid ii