Coating method

A process for coating carrier particles with guest particles, the process comprising:

• providing an apparatus comprising a processing vessel having solid walls defining a chamber for receiving said particles and a hollow shaft extending within said chamber at least partly along the axis of rotation of the cylindrical processing vessel, the hollow shaft defining a gas flow path connected to a gas inlet, and having one or more axially-extending slots or one or more axially-extending rows of apertures allowing fluid communication between the gas flow path and the chamber to reinforce the centrifugal force;
• adding the particles to the chamber;
• and
• rotating the cylindrical processing vessel about an axis to impart a centrifugal (G) force on the particles while flowing gas from the gas inlet along the gas flow path in the hollow shaft and into the chamber, in a radially-outwards direction, through the one or more axially-extending slots or one or more axially-extending rows of apertures,
• wherein one of the carrier particles and the guest particles comprises a material having a solubility/dissolution and the other comprises a solubility/dissolution controlling agent,
• wherein the solubility/dissolution controlling agent comprises an anionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, a non-ionic surfactant, a zwitterionic (amphoteric) surfactant, an amino acid, a disintegrant, a water insoluble moiety, a water-soluble moiety or a combination of any of the above, and
• the gas is flowed from the gas inlet at a flow rate of between 1 and 75 L/min to cause de-agglomeration then adherence of the guest particles on the carrier particles.

A process for coating carrier particles with guest particles, the process comprising:

• providing an apparatus comprising a processing vessel having solid walls defining a chamber for receiving said particles and a hollow shaft extending within said chamber at least partly along the axis of rotation of the cylindrical processing vessel, the hollow shaft defining a gas flow path connected to a gas inlet, and having one or more axially-extending slots or one or more axially-extending rows of apertures allowing fluid communication between the gas flow path and the chamber;
• adding the particles to the chamber;
• and
• rotating the cylindrical processing vessel about an axis to impart a centrifugal (G) force on the particles while flowing gas from the gas inlet along the gas flow path in the hollow shaft and into the chamber, in a radially-outwards direction, through the one or more axially-extending slots or one or more axially-extending rows of apertures to reinforce the centrifugal force,
• wherein one of the carrier particles and the guest particles comprises a drug and the other comprises a solubility/dissolution controlling agent;agent,
• the solubility/dissolution controlling agent comprises an anionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, a non-ionic surfactant, a zwitterionic (amphoteric) surfactant, an amino acid, a disintegrant, a water insoluble moiety, a water-soluble moiety or a combination of any of the above, and
• the gas is flowed from the gas inlet at a flow rate of between 1 and 75 L/min to cause de-agglomeration then adherence of the guest particles on the carrier particles.