Pelletization processes for pharmaceutical applications: A patent review

Abstract

Pellets exhibit major therapeutic and technical advantages which have established them as an exceptionallyuseful dosage form. A plethora of processes and materials is available for the production of pellets, which practicallyallows inexhaustible configurations contributing to the flexibility and versatility of pellets as drug delivery systems. Thescope of this review is to summarize the recent literature on pelletization processes for pharmaceutical applications,focusing on the awarded and pending patents in this technical field. The first part of the article provides an overview ofinnovation in pelletization processes, while the second part evaluates their novel applications. © 2011 Bentham Science Publishers Ltd