X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis of Tablets

Introduction

Some tablets of drug product have a coating applied to the surface for various purposes, such as preventing deterioration, masking unpleasant taste or smell, or controlling the timing of drug release. Although inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and ICP- mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) are generally used as methods for analysis of the elements in drug products, if an entire tablet is pulverized or dissolved, it becomes difficult to differentiate the elements that originate from the coating and other elements. X-ray fluorescence analysis makes it possible to analyze tablets as-is without pulverization. This article introduces an example of a simple analysis of unevenly-distributed like those in coatings, based on a comparison of analyses of pulverized and unpulverized tablets.

August 26, 2019 GMT