Hyperthermia-induced in situ drug amorphization by superparamagnetic nanoparticles in oral dosage forms

This study introduces a novel application of magnetic hyperthermia to induce amorphization of a poorly aqueous soluble drug, celecoxib, in situ in tablets for oral administration. In situ amorphization can overcome the drug development hurdle of poor aqueous solubility by molecularly dispersing the drug in a polymeric network inside a tablet.

However, current shortcomings of this approach include low drug loading in the tablets, toxicity of enabling excipients, and drug degradation. Here, SPIONs produced by flame spray pyrolysis are compacted with polyvinylpyrolidone and celecoxib, and exposed to an AMF. The degree of amorphization is strongly linked to the maximum tablet temperature achieved during AMF exposure, which depends on SPION composition and content in the tablets.