A systematic approach for assessing the suitability of enteral feeding tubes for the administration of controlled-release pellet formulations

Enteral nutrition plays an important role for patients who are unable to properly swallow food. In such patients, enteral feeding tubes are often used, through which food, but often also oral medications, are administered. However, this can pose risk of tube clogging. Compared to the administration of crushed tablets, multiparticulate dosage forms are often considered easier to administer and furthermore have the advantage of enabling the administration of even controlled-release preparations.

The objective of this systematic study was to identify tube- and formulation-related factors that contribute to successful administration of coated pellet formulations via a variety of commercially available feeding tube devices. The suitability of enteral feeding tubes for the administration of controlled-release pellet formulations that differed in size and type of starter core and functional coating was investigated in a stepwise approach using a novel in vitro setup.

Results of the study indicate that pellet diameter and inner diameter of the feeding tube are by no means reliable parameters for estimating the tube’s suitability for pellet administration, but that many other tube and formulation-related factors and combinations thereof must be considered to ensure safe and effective drug administration via enteral feeding tubes.

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Article information: Frank Karkossa, Nicole Lehmann, Sandra Klein, A systematic approach for assessing the suitability of enteral feeding tubes for the administration of controlled-release pellet formulations, International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2021.121286.