Hot-Melt Extrusion Technique: A Review

Hot-melt extrusion is one of the most widely applied processing technologies in the plastic, rubber and food industry. Today this technology has found its place in the array of pharmaceutical manufacturing operations. Melt extrusion process are currently applied in the pharmaceutical field for the manufacture of a variety of dosage forms and formulations such as granules, pellets, tablets, suppositories, implants, stents, transdermal systems and ophthalmic inserts. This review article in detail describes the melt extrusion equipment and process. Industrial application of this process along with specific areas on pharmaceutical industry is illustrated. This article concludes with the overview of published examples of the melt extrusion process.