Preparation and Characterization of Directly Compressible Spherical Agglomerates of Etoricoxib

Aim: The current work contemplates formulation of spherical agglomerates of Etoricoxib, with a view to improve the flow properties, solubility and dissolution rate. Materials and Methods: Spherical agglomerates of etoricoxib were produced employing quasi emulsion solvent diffusion method using hydrophilic polymers like PVP K30 and PEG 6000. IR spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy along with physicochemical evaluations were used to characterize the agglomerates. Results: The optical microscopic studies indicated that the agglomerates were spherical in shape and varied in size from 1203.9 ± 126μm to 1297.2 ±164.2μm. The technique was found to enhance the aqueous solubility of the drug from 1.45 μg/ml to 8.26±0.05 μg/ml and the dissolution in 60 min from 39.57% to 82.88%. Etoricoxib tablets prepared using spherical agglomerates with PVP K30 and PEG 6000 displayed dissolution of 82.88% and 76.89% respectively that were considerably higher than conventional etoricoxib tablets. Conclusion: From the dissolution profile and % cumulative release from formulations it was concluded that Spherical Agglomeration technique substantially improves the flow properties, aqueous solubility and rate of dissolution of etoricoxib.