Determination of time course of tablet disintegration I: numerical method.

A method is described for determining the time course of tabled disintegration. It involves a numerical analysis of the experimental dissolution profile of a tablet and the dissolution characteristics of the primary drug particles in the tablet. The disintegration profile is determined for an acetaminophen tablet to demonstrate the application of the method. Tablet dissolution is simulated with the disintegration-dissolution model, and the interrelationship between the two fundamental processes is studied theoretically by varying the parameters describing the two processes.