Kyowa Hakko Kirin_Kyowa Hakko News

December 14th, 1998

External Lubrication System "EXLUB"
- Innovative tableting technology developed by Kyowa Hakko -

  Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., Ltd. (President: Tadashi Hirata) developed a new method for tableting pharmaceuticals, "External Lubrication System (EXLUB)", and is going to introduce this system all over theworld.
  Tablets are compacted by a tableting machine from the mixture of an active ingredient with a binding agent^a) and excipients^b). During this tableting process where high compression force is applied to the mixture, a lubricant^c) is added for preventing the mixture from adhering to the punches and dies of the tableting machine.
  We, Kyowa Hakko, devised an apparatus to spray very accurately a small amount of lubricant to the punches and dies by utilizing the air pulsation, and consequently we developed an innovative technology to put the lubricant only on the surface of tablets.
  Up to now, tablets have been produced by the "internal lubrication system", in which a lubricant is mixed with an active ingredient and the other powdered components. Therefore, the lubricant is distributed in the whole tablet and besides required much. On the contrary, the lubricant adheres only to the surface of tablets when they are produced by EXLUB. So, the following advantages can be obtained by using this innovative tableting technology.

1)	It is possible to produce such tablets as readily disintegrate in the mouth and can be taken without water.
2)	It is possible to tablet, for example, the substance which is enveloped in membrane and can be used only as capsules.
3)	It is possible to produce small-sized tablets, because the content of a binding agent and excipients is diminished.
4)	It is possible to tablet also such drugs as are incompatible with a lubricant.
5)	It is possible to shorten the production process.
6)	It is possible to prevent tablets from capping or sticking (being broken or chipped) during the tableting process.

In addition, EXLUB can be easily attached to tableting machines on the market, and besides its principle is so simply and clear that it is fully applicable to the practical production. Also, the validation data required legally for registration can be obtained easily.
We will advance the application of EXLUB to production of our own products, and on the other hand, we will start the approach to pharmaceutical manufacturers in Japan and other countries with regard to this innovative tableting technology.

Notes
	a)	Binding agent: A substance which serves as an adhesive to bind the main ingredient and other components in tablets (ex. cellulose)
	b)	Excipient: A substance which is added to make the drug easy to take (ex. lactose)
	c)	Lubricant: A hydrophobic substance which inhibits the adhesion of powder to powder, or of powder to the punch and die (ex. magnesium stearate)

Return