Dept of pharmaceutics

Hindu College of
Pharmacy
 INTRODUCTION
2
• Aerosol or Pressurized package is defined as “A system that
depends on the power of a compressed gas or liquefied gas to
expel the contents from the container.”
• Pharmaceutical Aerosol is defined as aerosol product
containing active ingredients dissolved ,suspended or emulsified
in a propellant or a mixture of solvent and propellant.These
intended for oral or topical administration or for administration
into the eye, nose ,ear, rectum and vagina.
 ADVANTAGES OF AEROSOLS
3
• A dose can be removed with out contamination of materials.
• Stability is enhanced.
• Sterility can be maintained.
• The medication can be delivered directly to the affected area.
(localized action)
• Ease and convenience of application.
• Application of medication in thin layer .
• Rapid response to the medicament .
• Bypasses First pass effect.
 DISADVANTAGES OF AEROSOLS
4

• Expensive.
• Chlorofluorocarbon propellants cause Ozone layer
depletion.
• Inflammability
• Toxicity
• Explosive
 COMPONENTS OF AEROSOLS
5

• Propellant

• Container

• Valve and actuator

• Product concentrate
 PROPELLANTS
6

• Responsible for developing proper pressure within the

container.
• Provide driving force to expel the product from the container.

TYPES OF PROPELLANTS

(a) Liquefied gases Propellants

(b) Compressed gases Propellants
 LIQUEFIED GAS PROPELLANTS
7 • Liquefied propellants are gases that exist as liquids under
pressure.
• Because the propellant exists mainly as a liquid, but it will also
be in the head space as a gas.
• The product is used up as the valve is opened, some of the
liquid propellant turns to gas and keeps the head space full of
gas.
• In this way the pressure can remains essentially constant and the
spray performance is maintained throughout the life of the
aerosol.
 CHLORO FLUORO CARBONS
8
• Propellant of choice for oral inhalation and sprays .

Advantages
Disadvantages
• Chemical inertness
• High cost
• Lack of toxicity
• It depletes the ozone layer
• Non flammability.
• Lack of explosiveness.
Examples: Trichloromonofluoromethane - Propellant 11
Dichlorodifluoromethane - Propellant 12
Dichlorotetrafluoroethane - Propellant 114
 HYDROCARBONS
9

• Can be used for water based aerosols and topical use.

Advantages Disadvantages
• Inexpensive • Inflammable
• Excellent solvents • Unknown toxicity produced
• It does not cause ozone depletion

Ex: Propane - Propellant A-108

Isobutane - Propellant A-31
Butane - Propellant A-17
 HYDROFLUORO CARBONS AND
HYDRO CHLORO FLUORO CARBONS
10
•These compounds break down in the atmosphere at faster rate
than CFCs.
• Lower ozone destroying effect.

Advantages Disadvantages
• Low inhalation toxicity • Poor solvent
• High chemical stability • High cost
• High purity
• Not ozone depleting
 Examples: Heptafluoro propane (HFA-227)
Tetrafluoroethane (HFA-134a)
Difluoroethane - Propellant 152a
Chlorodifluoromethane - Propellant 22
Chlorodifluoroethane - Propellant 142 b

11
 CONTAINERS
12
They must be able to withstand pressures as high as 140 to 180
psig (pounds per sq. inch gauge) at 130 ° F.

AEROSOL CONTAINERS

A . Metals
1. Tinplated steel
2. Aluminum
3. Stainless steel
B. Glass
1. Uncoated glass
2. Plastic coated glass
 TIN PLATED STEEL CONTAINERS
13
• It consist of a sheet of steel plate, this sheet is coated with tin
by electrolytic process .
• The coated sheet is cut into three pieces ( top , bottom and
body) .
• The top, bottom are attached to body by soldering .
• When required it is coated with organic material usually
oleoresin, phenolic , vinyl or epoxy coating .
• Welding eliminates soldering process, Saves considerable
manufacturing time and decreases the product/container
interaction.
• Recent developments in welding include Soudronic system
and Conoweld system.
 ALUMINIUM CONTAINERS
14

• Used for inhalation and topical aerosols .

• Manufactured by impact extrusion process.
• Light in weight, less fragile, Less incompatibility due to its
seamless nature.
• Greater resistance to corrosion .
• Pure water and pure ethanol cause corrosion to Al containers.
• Added resistance can be obtained by coating inside of the
container with organic coating like phenolic , vinyl or epoxy
and polyamide resins.
 STAINLESS STEEL CONTAINERS
15

• Used for inhalation aerosols

Advantage :
• Extremely Strong.
• Resistant to many materials.
• No need for internal coating.

Disadvantage :
• Costly
 GLASS CONTAINERS
• These containers are preferred because of its Aesthetic value and
16

absence of incompatibilities.
• These containers are limited to the products having a lower pressure
(33 psig) and lower percentage of the propellant.
• Used for topical and MDI aerosols.
Two types of glass aerosol containers
i) Uncoated glass container:
• Less cost and high clarity and contents can be viewed at all times.
ii) Plastic coated glass containers:
• These are protected by plastic coating that prevents the glass from
shattering in the event of breakage.
 VALVES
17
• Easy to open and close .
• Capable of delivering the content in the desired form such as
spray, foam, solid stream etc.
• It can deliver a given amount of medicament .

TYPES OF VALVES :

1. Continuous spray valve

2. Metering valves
 VALVE ASSEMBLY
18
 CONTINUOUS SPRAY VALVE
19
• Used for topical aerosols .

Valves assembly consists :

• Ferrule or mounting cup

• Valve body or housing
• Stem
• Dip tube
• Gasket
• Spring
FERRULE OR MOUNTING CUP :
• Used to attach valve to container.
• Made from Tin plated steel, Al , Brass .
• Under side of the valve cup is coated with single or double epoxy or
vinyl resins.

VALVE BODY OR HOUSING :

• Made up of Nylon or Derlin and contains a opening at the point of
attachment of dip tube. (0.013 to 0.080 inch)

STEM :
•20Made from Nylon or Derlin , brass and stainless steel can also be used.
GASKET :
• Made from Buna-N and neoprene rubber.

SPRING :
• Made from Stainless steel .
• Used to hold gasket in place.

DIP TUBE :
• Made from Poly ethylene or poly propylene.
• Inner diameter 0.120 – 0.125 inch.
• However for Capillary dip tube inner diameter is 0.050 inch and for
highly
21 viscous products it is 0.195 inch.
 METERING VALVES
22
• Used for dispensing of potent medication.
• Operates on the principle of a chamber whose size determines
the amount of medication dispensed.
• Approximately 50 to 150 ml ±10 % of liquid materials can be
dispensed at one time with the use of such valve.

MDI
Metering valve
 ACTUATORS
23

• These are specially designed buttons which helps in delivering

the drug in desired form i.e., spray, wet stream, foam or solid
stream .

TYPES OF ACTUATORS :
• Spray actuators
• Foam actuators
• Solid steam actuators
• Special actuators
 SPRAY ACTUATORS:
• It can be used for topical preparation, such as antiseptics, local
anesthetics and spray on bandages etc.
• It allows the stream of product concentrate and propellant to pass
through various openings and dispense as spray.
FOAM ACTUATORS :
• It consist of large orifice which ranges from 0.070—0.125 inch .
SOLID STREAM ACTUATORS :
• These actuators are required for dispensing semi solid products such
as ointments .

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 SPRAY

ACTUATORS ACTUATOR
S

FOAM

25
 METERED DOSE INHALERS
26
• Used to minimize the number of administration errors.
• To improve the drug delivery of aerosolized particles into the
nasal passageways and respiratory tract.
Advantages of MDI:
• It delivers specified amount of dose .
• Portable and compact.
• Quick to use , no contamination of product.
• Dose-dose reproducibility is high.
Disadvantages of MDI :
• Low lung deposition ; high pharyngeal deposition .
• Coordination of MDI actuation and patient inhalation is
needed.
 Metered Dose Inhalers (MDIs)
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 MARKETED PHARMACEUTICAL AEROSOL PRODUCTS

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Metered Dose inhalers :

BRAND DRUG USE

NAME
Flovent Diskus Fluticasone Asthma
Advair Fluticasone and Asthma
Salmeterol
Aerobid Flunisolide Asthma
Qvar Beclomethasone Asthma
Proventil Albuterol Bronchospasm
 FORMULATION OF AEROSOLS
29
• It consist of two essential components :
1. Product concentrate and
2. Propellant

Product concentrate :
Active ingredient or mixture of active ingredients and other
necessary agents such as solvents, anti oxidants and
surfactants.
Propellant :
• Single or blend of various propellants is used.
• Blend with solvents is used to achieve desired solubility
characteristics.
 TYPES OF SYSTEMS
30
TYPES OF AEROSOL SYSTEMS :

• Solution system
• Water based system
• Suspension or Dispersion systems
• Foam systems
1. Aqueous stable foams
2. Non aqueous stable foams
3. Quick-breaking foams
4. Thermal foams
• Intranasal aerosols
 SOLUTION SYSTEM
31
• This system is also referred to as Two phase system consists
of vapor and liquid phase.
• If active ingredient is soluble in propellant ,no other solvent
is required.
• The vapor pressure of system is reduced by the addition of
less volatile solvents such as ethanol, acetone , propylene
glycol, glycerin, ethyl acetate. This results in production of
larger particles upon spraying.
• Amount of Propellant may vary from 5% (for foams) to 95%
(for inhalations).
General formula weight %
Active drug - to 10-15
Propellant 12/11 (50:50) - to 100
 • Depending on water content the final product may be
solution or three phase system.

• Solution aerosols produce a fine to coarse spray.

• Hydrocarbon propellant A-70 produces drier particles while

propellants A-17 and A-31 tend to produce a wetter spray.

• These are useful for topical preparations.

• Packaged in Plastic coated glass containers.

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 WATER BASED SYSTEM
33 • Large amounts of water can be used to replace all or part of
the non aqueous solvents used in aerosols.
• Produce spray or foam.
• To produce spray, formulation must consist of dispersion of
active ingredients and other solvents in emulsion system in
which the propellant is in the external phase.
• Since propellant and water are not miscible, a three phase
aerosol forms (propellant, water and vapor phases).
• Ethanol can be used as cosolvent to solubilize propellant in
water. It also reduces surface tension aiding in the production
of smaller particles .
• 0.5 to 2% of surfactant is used to produce a homogenous
dispersion.
 SUSPENSION SYSTEM
34 • It involves dispersion of active ingredient in the propellant or
mixture of propellants.
• To decrease the rate of settling of dispersed particles,
surfactants or suspending agents can be added.
• Primarily used for inhalation aerosols.
Example:
Formulation Weight%
Epinephrine bitartrate (1-5 Microns) 0.50
Sorbitan trioleate 0.50
Propellant -114 49.50
Propellant -12 49.50
Epinephrine bitartrate has minimum solubility in propellant
system but soluble in fluids in the lungs.
 Physical stability of aerosol dispersion can be increased by:

1. Reduction of initial particle size to less than 5 µm.

2. Adjustment of density of propellant and suspensoid so that

they are equalized.

3. Use of dispersing agents.

4. Use of derivatives of active ingredients with minimum

solubility in propellant system.

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 FOAM SYSTEMS
36
• Emulsion and foam aerosols consist of active ingredients,
aqueous or non aqueous vehicle, surfactant, Propellant and
are dispensed as a stable or quick breaking foam depending
on the nature of the ingredients and the formulation.

AQUEOUS STABLE FOAM :

Formulation %w/w
Active ingredient
Oil waxes
o/w surfactant 95-96.5
Water
Hydrocarbon Propellant (3 -5%) 3.5-5
 • Total propellant content is usually (3 or 5% w/w).
• As the amount of propellant increases a stiffer and dryer foam
is produced.
• Lower propellant concentrations yield wetter foams.
• Hydrocarbon and compressed gas propellants are used.

NON-AQUEOUS STABLE FOAM :

Formulation %w/w
Glycol 91-92.5
Emulsifying agent 4
Hydrocarbon propellant 3.5-5
• Glycols such as poly ethylene glycols are used.
• Emulsifying agent is propylene glycol monostearate.

37
 QUICK BREAKING FOAM :

• Propellant is in the external phase .

• When dispensed the product is emitted as a foam, which then
collapses into a liquid.
• Especially applicable to topical medications .
Formulation %w/w
Ethyl alcohol 46-66
Surfactant 0.5-5
Water 28-42
Hydrocarbon Propellant 3-15
• Surfactant should be soluble in both alcohol and water and
can be of non ionic or cationic or anionic type.

38
 THERMAL FOAM :
• Used to produce warm foam for shaving .
• Used to dispense hair colors and dyes but were unsuccessful
due to the corrosion problems and are expensive , inconvenient
to use and lack of effectiveness.
INTRANASAL AEROSOLS :
• Intended to deposit medication into nasal passages for local or
systemic effect.
ADVANTAGES
• Deliver measured dose of drug.
• Require lower doses compared to other systemic products.
• Excellent depth of penetration into the nasal passage way.
• Decreased mucosal irritability .
• Maintenance of sterility from dose to dose.
• Greater flexibility in the product formulation.

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 MANUFACTURE OF PHARMACEUTICAL AEROSOLS

40 • Pressure filling apparatus

• Cold filling apparatus
• Compressed gas filling apparatus
PRESSURE FILLING APPARATUS
• It consists of a pressure burette capable of metering small
volumes of liquefied gas into the aerosol container under
pressure.
• Propellant is added through an inlet valve located at the bottom
or top of the pressure burette.
• The propellant is allowed to flow with its own vapor pressure
in the container through aerosol valve.
• The trapped air escapes out from the upper valve.
 • The propellant stops flowing when the pressure of burette and
container becomes equal.
• If further propellant is to be added, a hose (rubber pipe)
leading to a cylinder of nitrogen is attached to the upper valve,
the pressure exerted by nitrogen helps in the flow of the
propellant into the container.
• Another pressure filling device makes use of piston
arrangement and is capable of maintaining positive pressure .
• This type of device cannot be used for filling inhalation
aerosols which have metered valves.

41
 PROCEDURE:
•This method involves filling of the concentrate into the
container at the room temperature.
• Then the valve is placed in the container and crimped.
• Through the opening of the valve the propellant are added.
• Since the opening of the valve are smaller in size ranging from
0.018-0.030 inches, it limits the production and the process
becomes slow.
• But with the use of rotary filling machines and newer filling
heads where the propellants are filled through valve stem, the
production rate is increased.
• The trapped air in the container and air present in head space is
removed before filling the propellant to protect the products
from getting adversely affected.

42
 • Various units used in pressure filling line are arranged in the
following order :
Unscrambler , Air cleaner , Concentrate filler , Valve placer ,
Purger ,Valve crimper , Propellant filler ,Water bath , Labeler ,
Coder and Packing table .
• Purger ,vacuum crimper and pressure filler are replaced with
a single unit if filling is carried by ‘under the cap’ method.

43
 ADVANTAGES OF PRESSURE FILLING:
• Solutions, emulsions, suspensions can be filled by this method.
• Contamination due to moisture is less.
• High production speed can be achieved.
• Loss of propellant is less.

DISADVANTAGES :
• Certain types of metering valves can not be handled.
• Process is slower than Cold filling method.

44
45
Pressure burette
 COLD FILLING APPARATUS
46
• It consist of an insulated box fitted with copper tubings and
the tubings are coiled to increase the area exposed to cooling.
• The insulated box should be filled with dry ice or acetone prior
to use.
• The apparatus can be operated with or without metered valves.
• Hydrocarbon propellant cannot be filled into aerosol
containers using this apparatus because large amount of
propellant escapes out and vaporizes.
• This may lead to formation of an explosive mixture .
• Fluorocarbon vapors do not form any explosive or flammable
mixture though their vapors are heavier than air.
 PROCEDURE:
• Non aqueous products which can withstand low temperatures
of - 40°F are used in this method.
• The product concentrate is chilled to a temperature of - 40°F
and filled into already chilled container.
• Then the chilled propellant is added completely in 1 or 2
stages, depending on the amount.
• Another method is to chill both the product concentrate and
propellant in a separate pressure vessel to - 40 °F and then
filling them into the container.
• The valve is placed and crimped on to the container.
• Then test for leakage and strength of container is carried out
by passing container into a heated water bath, where the
contents of the container are heated to 130°F. After this, the
containers are air dried , capped and labeled.
47
 • Various units used in cold filling methods are :
Unscrambler, Air cleaner ,Concentrate filler ,Propellant filler
,Valve placer ,Valve crimper ,Water bath ,Labeler, Coder and
Packing table .

• The cold filling method is no longer being used, as it has

been replaced by pressure filling method.
Advantage:
• Easy process .
Disadvantages :
• Aqueous products, emulsions and those products adversely
affected by cold temperature cannot be filled by this method.

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 COLD FILLING APPARATUS

49
 COMPRESSED GAS FILLING APPARATUS
50 • Compressed gases have high pressure hence a pressure
reducing valve is required.
• The apparatus consists of delivery gauge.
• A flexible hose pipe which can withstand 150 pounds per
square inch gauge pressure is attached to the delivery gauge
along with the filling head.
• A flow indicator is also present in specialized equipments.
 PROCEDURE :
• The product concentrate is filled into the container.
• Valve is placed and crimped on the container.
• With the help of vacuum pump the air is removed from the
container.
•Filling head is put in the opening of the valve and the valve is
depressed and the gas is allowed to flow in to container.
• The gas stops flowing if the delivery pressure and the pressure
within the container become equal.
• Carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide is used if more amount of
gas is required.
• High solubility of the gas in the product can be achieved by
shaking the container manually or with the help of mechanical
shakers.

51
 QUALITY CONTROL TESTS
52
It includes the testing of

1. Propellants
2. Valves, Actuators and Dip Tubes
3. Containers
4. Weight Checking
5. Leak Testing
6. Spray Testing
1. PROPELLANTS :
 Vapor pressure and density of the propellant are determined
and compared with specification sheet.

Parameter Tested By

Identification Gas Chromatography

IR Spectroscopy

Purity and acceptability Moisture, Halogen,

Non-Volatile Residue
determinations

53
 2. VALVES , ACTUATORS AND DIP TUBES :
54

 Sampling is done according to standard procedures as found

in Military Standards “MIL-STD-105D”.

 For metered dose aerosol valves ,test methods were

developed by
‘Aerosol Specifications Committee’
‘Industrial Pharmaceutical Technology Section
‘Academy Of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

 The objective of this test is to determine magnitude of valve

delivery & degree of uniformity between individual valves.

 Standard test solutions were proposed to rule out variation in

valve delivery.
TEST SOLUTIONS
Ingredients Test Solutions Test Test Solutions
% w/w ‘A’ Solutions ‘B’ ‘C’

Iso Propyl Myristate 0.10% 0.10% 0.10%

Dichloro Difluoro 49.95% 25.0% 50.25%

methane
Dichloro tetrafluoro 49.95% 25.0% 24.75%
ethane
Trichloro monofluoro - - 24.9%
methane
Alcohol USP - 49.9% -

Specific Gravity @ 25°c 1.384 1.092 1.388

55
 Testing Procedure:
 Take 25 valves and placed on containers filled with specific test
56 solution.
 Actuator with 0.020 inch orifice is attached.
 Temperature -25±1°C.
 Valve is actuated to fullest extent for 2 sec and weighed.
 Again the valve is actuated for 2 sec and weighed.
 Difference between them represents delivery in mg.
 Repeat this for a total of 2 individual deliveries from each of 25 test
units.
Individual delivery wt in mg.
Valve delivery per actuation in µL =
Specific gravity of test solution

Valve Acceptance: Deliveries Limit’s

54µL or less ± 15%
55 to 200 µL ± 10%
57 Of the 50 individual deliveries,

 If 4 or more are outside the limits : valves are rejected

 If 3 deliveries are outside limits : another 25 valves are

tested.
Lot is rejected if more than 1 delivery is outside the
specifications.

 If 2 deliveries from 1 valve are beyond limits : another 25

valves are tested.
Lot is rejected if more than1 delivery is outside specification.
 3. CONTAINERS :
• Containers are examined for defects in lining.
• Quality control aspects includes degree of conductivity of
electric current as measure of exposed metals.
• Glass containers examined for Flaws.

4. WEIGHT CHECKING :
• Is done by periodically adding to the filling line tared empty
aerosol containers, which after filling with concentrate are
removed & weighed.
• Same procedure is used for checking weight of Propellants
being added.

58
 5. LEAK TESTING :
 It is a means of checking crimping of the valve and detect
the defective containers due to leakage.
 Is done by measuring the Crimp’s dimension & comparing.

 Final testing of valve closure is done by passing the filled

containers through water bath.

6. SPRAY TESTING :
 Most pharmaceutical aerosols are 100% spray tested.

 This serves to clear the dip tube of pure propellant and

pure concentrate.
 To check for defects in valves and spray pattern.

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 EVALUATION TESTS
60

A. Flammability and combustibility :

1. Flash point
2. Flame Projection
B. Physicochemical characteristics :
1. Vapor pressure
2. Density
3. Moisture content
4. Identification of Propellants
C. Performance:
1. Aerosol valve discharge rate
2. Spray pattern
3. Dosage with metered valves
4. Net contents
5. Foam stability
6. Particle size determination
D. Biological testing :
1. Therapeutic activity
2. Toxicity studies

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 A. Flammability and combustibility
62
1. Flash point:
Apparatus : Tag Open Cup Apparatus
Product is chilled to – 25°F and test liquid
temperature is allowed to increase slowly and the temperature
at which vapors ignite is called as Flash Point .
2. Flame Projection:
Product is sprayed for 4 sec
into a flame and the flame is
extended ,exact length is
measured with a ruler.
B. Physicochemical characteristics:

Property Method

1. Vapor Pressure » Pressure gauge

» Can Puncturing Device.
2. Density » Hydrometer,
» Pycnometer.
3. Moisture » Karl Fisher Method,
» Gas Chromatography.
4. Identification of propellants » Gas Chromatography,
» IR Spectroscopy.
63
 C. Performance:
64
1. Aerosol valve discharge rate :
 Contents of the aerosol product of known weight is discharged
for specific period of time.
 By reweighing the container after the time limit, the change in
the weight per time dispensed gives the discharge rate ( g/sec).
2. Spray pattern :
 The method is based on the
impingement of spray on piece of
paper that has been treated with
Dye-Talc mixture.
 The particles that strike the paper
cause the dye to go into solution and to be adsorbed onto
paper giving a record of spray for comparison purpose.
 3. Dosage with metered valves :
 Reproducibility of dosage can be determined by:
»Assay techniques
»Accurate weighing of filled container followed by dispensing of
several doses . Containers are then reweighed and difference in
weight divided by number of doses dispensed gives average dose.
4. Net Contents :
 Tared cans that have been placed onto the filling lines are
reweighed and the difference in weight is equal to the net
contents.
 In Destructive method : weighing a full container and then
dispensing as much of the content as possible . The contents are
then weighed . This gives the net content.

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 5. Foam stability :
Methods : » Visual Evaluation,
» Time for given mass to penetrate the foam,
» Time for given rod that is inserted into the
foam to fall ,
» Rotational Viscometer.
6. Particle Size Determination :
Methods : » Cascade Impactor,
» Light Scattering Decay.

66
a). Cascade Impactor :
Principle :
Stream of particles projected
through a series of nozzles and
glass slides at high velocity,
larger particle are impacted first
on lower velocity stage and
smaller particles are collected
at higher velocity stage.
b). Light Scattering Decay :
Principle :
As aerosol settles under turbulent
conditions, the change in the light
intensity of a Tyndall beam is
measured.

67
 D. Biological testing:
68

1.Therapeutic Activity :
» For Inhalation Aerosols : dosage of the product is determined
and is related to the particle size distribution.
» For Topical Aerosols : is applied to test areas and adsorption
of therapeutic ingredient is determined.
2.Toxicity :
» For Inhalation Aerosols : exposing test animals to vapors
sprayed from aerosol container.
» For Topical Aerosols : Irritation and Chilling effects are
determined.