Fine and Pure
The Aerosil & Silanes Business Unit of
Degussa AG, Düsseldorf, has developed a highly densified fumed
silica, AEROSIL® 200 VV Pharma, especially designed for the needs of the
pharmaceutical industry. AEROSIL® 200 VV Pharma is a
refinement of the traditional
Degussa fumed silica AEROSIL® that is commonly used in tablet
production for
flow-control/order_t/'>flow control. The significantly higher tapped
density of 120 g/l, versus 50 to 60 g/l for traditional silica, is novel. It provides users with a number of advantages for more cost- effective production including: lower
storage costs; simplified handling (particularly in dosification); reduced dusting; and increased production capacity. AEROSIL® 200 VV Pharma meets the requirements of all of the relevant pharmacopoeia monographs. The product is nontoxic, non-irritating,
skin-compatible, and without
side effects when taken orally. AEROSIL® 200 VV Pharma is particularly suitable for the manufacture of solid
medication forms such as tablets and will be available starting in May 2002.
Like all fumed silicas, AEROSIL® 200 VV Pharma is a fine, white,
light amorphous powder consisting of aggregated primary
particles. However, these are not isolated. Unlike conventional fumed silicas, they form dense, compact secondary agglomerates. So much for pure science. The economic advantages of agglomerates, together with the higher tapped
density, are manifested in processing. For one thing, much less fine dust forms during production – the exhausting and the associated loss of product in the
Filter, and the cleaning effort can therefore be reduced. Thanks to its density, AEROSIL® 200 VV Pharma also entails lower storage costs. Delivery in 20 kg bags instead of the 10 kg bags used until now appreciably reduces the amount of packaging material. The higher
flowability of the
powder mixtures achievable with AEROSIL® 200 VV Pharma also provides for more-precise dosification and increased
production efficiency.
In the various pharmaceutical forms, AEROSIL® 200 VV Pharma performs various functions. In
powders,
granulates and non-film-coated products, it is used as a
flow regulator. In tablets, it is used as a glidant and disintegration aid, additionally increasing the hardness of the individual tablets. Although Degussa AG recommends the new fumed silica primarily for solid pharmaceutical dosage forms, it can also be used in semi-solid medications. AEROSIL® 200 VV Pharma serves as a gel former in ointments, pastes and creams, stabilizes
emulsions and increases storage and
temperature stability. Degussa AG has applied for a patent on the use of compacted, fumed silicas in pharmaceutical preparations.
A total of 2800 persons are employed by the Aerosil & Silanes Business Unit of Degussa AG. The BU is headquartered in Frankfurt/Main and has
plants in
Germany,
Belgium,
France, the USA and
Japan. AEROSIL® is the trade name for a host of fumed silicas. The finely divided, white, high purity powder precisely influences the
flow behavior of pharmaceutical products and foods such as
nutritional supplements. Besides numerous other fields of application, fumed silicas are also used for
rheology control in cosmetic applications such as ointments and creams