In order to evaluate the dividing properties of scored sulfonylurea (SU) tablets, and to also elucidate the usefulness of powder prepared by pulverizing SU tablets, we examined the content uniformity and weight variation in five kinds of divided SU tablets and in each kind of powder prepared by pulverizing the SU tablets with either EFC lactose, powdered lactose or a mixture of powdered lactose and potato starch. All tablets were divided by hand, while the 3 different powders were divided and packed into machines used for dividing and packing powdered medicine.
As a result, large variations in both the weight and SU content of the two halves were observed following the division. However, the divided tablets showed a good correlation between the variation of the divided tablet weight and that of to SU content. On the other hand, some differences in the dividing property were observed among the various kinds of powders. When the powders were divided and packed by the machine eqquipped with a linear vibrator to feed powders into the division holes using an alternating motion (Tosho, OMP-90 A), packing errors in dividing weight frequently occured for all powders. In addition, those of EFC lactose caused a low dispersibility of the SU constituent into the divided powders. However, by using two machines, one which automatically feeds the powders on a revolving disk (Takasono, HP-93 UT) or manually feeds them into the division holes (Yuyama, CP-D-42), such disadvantages as OMP-90 A improved in all the powders.
These findings suggest that dividing the SU tablets is not an accurate method of drug dispensing and it is thus necessary to carefully select powder's excipient and machine used for dividing and packing the powders when by pulverizing the SU tablets.
