Small volume dissolution of a poorly soluble drug as solid dispersions

Purpose The bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs may be enhanced by incorporating them in a solid dispersion. Here, the drug is typically dispersed, either in discrete crystalline regions or molecularly, within an hydrophilic matrix. This has the effect of enhancing the dissolution rate of the drug, and subsequently forming a supersaturated system. A low volume dissolution assay was used to characterize the dissolution of small sample quantities. This method can be developed further as an automated screening assay for solid dispersions.