Comparison of operational characteristics of different dissolution testing systems.

Three dissolution apparatus, the rotating basket, the rotating paddle, and the rotating filter--stationary basket, were evaluated for their suitability as production control tools and their relation to blood level studies in dogs. The rotating basket and rotating paddle assemblies were easier to use and less variable than the rotating filter--stationary basket. When relative levels of agitation and the pH of the dissolution medium were held constant, all three apparatus correlated with each other and equally well with the serum drug levels from experimental formulations of an oral hypoglycemic drug after administration to dogs. Such an observed relationship cannot, of course, be used to predict blood levels in other species; however, it does suggest that the choice of one apparatus over another cannot be made a priori.