Solidification of liquid self-emulsifying lipid formulations by loading on solid mesoporous carriers

Lipid-based formulations (LBFs) can be effective drug delivery systems for poorly watersoluble chemical entities, provided they are designed with careful selection of the excipients, based on their role in the delivery system and in relation to the API properties. The primary factor leading to increased bioavailability by LBFs is the administration of the drug in a pre-dissolved state thus avoiding the dissolution limiting step. The fate of a drug formulated in a LBF is dependent on the ability of the formulation components to keep the drug in solution during the initial dispersion and/or digestion processes. These systems should therefore be formulated by the informed selection and appropriate combination of excipients. Most of the excipients used for the design of LBFs are liquids or semi-solids and should therefore be encapsulated in soft or hard gelatin capsules. Since tablets is the preferred dosage form for patients, the ability to transform liquid LBFs into solid particles and consequently tablets is a key step to facilitate the development of new drug products. The aim of this study was to develop solid Self-Emulsifying Lipid Formulations (SELFs) of Piroxicam by loading of liquid SELFs on solid carriers.