Osmotic delivery of therapeutic compounds by solubility enhancement

1. An oral osmotic pharmaceutical delivery dosage form comprising: (a) a semipermeable wall; and (b) a single, solid core composition within said wall consisting essentially of: at least one pharmaceutically active agent that has solubility limitations due to inherent hydrophobicity or to high drug load, wherein high drug load means that at least 30% by weight of the dosage form is the at least one active agent, and, homogenously mixed with said pharmaceutically active agent, (1) a non-swelling osmotic agent, and (2) from 1 to 10% by weight of the core of meglumine, as a solubilizer, wherein said wall maintains its integrity during pharmaceutical delivery and has at least one passageway through it, connecting the core of the dosage form with the external environment, wherein the size of the passageway(s) is from 100μ to 1000μ.

2. An oral osmotic pharmaceutical delivery dosage form comprising: (a) a solid core comprising a pharmaceutically active agent that has solubility limitations due to inherent hydrophobicity or to high drug load, wherein high drug load means that at least 30% by weight of the dosage form is the at least one active agent, a non-swelling osmotic agent and from 1 to 10% by weight of the core of meglumine, as a solubilizer, wherein the pharmaceutically active agent, non-swelling osmotic agent and meglumine are all present as a homogeneous mixture in at least one layer, and when said core comprises more than one layer, each layer comprises at least one pharmaceutically active agent, and (b) a semipermeable wall that surrounds the core, maintains its integrity during pharmaceutical delivery and has at least one passageway through it, connecting the core of the dosage form with the external environment, wherein a size of the passageway(s) is from 100μ to 1000μ.

3. The osmotic dosage form of claim 1 or claim 2 , wherein the semipermeable wall is comprised of a water insoluble polymer of cellulose acylate, cellulose ethyl ether, cellulose diacylate, cellulose triacylate, cellulose acetate, cellulose diacetate, cellulose triacetate, mono-, di- and tricellulose alkyls, or mono-, di- and tricellulose aroyls.

4. The osmotic dosage form of claim 3 , wherein the water insoluble polymer is cellulose acetate.

5. The osmotic dosage form of claim 1 or claim 2 , wherein the semipermeable wall also contains 0.01% to 20% by weight of a plasticizer.

6. The osmotic dosage form of claim 5 , wherein the plasticizer is dibenzyl phthalate, dihexyl phthalate, butyl octyl phthalate, straight chain phthalates of six to eleven carbons, di-isononyl phthalate, di-isodecyl phthalate, triacetin, dioctyl azelate, epoxidized tallate, tri-isoctyl trimellitate, tri-isononyl trimellitate, sucrose acetate isobutyrate, or epoxidized soybean oil.

7. The osmotic dosage form of claim 4 , which further comprises a plasticizer selected from triethyl citrate (TEC), propylene glycol (PG), a mixture of TEC and PG in ratios ranging from 25% TEC/75% PG to 75% TEC/25% PG, Tween 80 or other polyoxyethylene sorbitan esters, triacetin, diethyl phthalate, polyethylene glycol, mineral oil, tributyl sebacate, and glycerol.

8. The osmotic dosage form of claim 7 , wherein the plasticizer is TEC.

9. The osmotic dosage form of claim 1 or claim 2 , wherein the semi-permeable wall represents a weight gain to the dosage form of from about 2% to about 15%.

10. The osmotic dosage form of claim 1 or claim 2 , wherein the core further comprises a high HLB surfactant as a co-solubilizer.

11. The osmotic dosage form of claim 1 to claim 2 , wherein the pharmaceutically active agent is one or more of albendazole, albuterol, acyclovir, adriamycin, carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, amiodarone, amlodipine, amphetamine, amphotericin B, atorvastatin, atovaquone, azithromycin, baclofen, bicalutamide, busulfan, butenafine, calcipotriene, calcitriol, camptothecin, capsaicin, carotenes, celecoxib, cerivastatin, chlorpheniramine, cimetidine, ciprofloxacin, cisapride, cetirizine, clarithromycin, clemastine, codeine, cyclosporin, danazol, dantrolene, dexchlorpheniramine, digoxin, dirithromycin, donepezil, efavirenz, ergotamine, etodolac, etoposide, famotidine, fentanyl, finasteride, fluconazole, flurbiprofen, fluvastatin, fosphenyloin, frovatriptan, gabapentin, gemfibrozil, glibenclamide, glyburide, glimepiride, griseofulvin, halofantrine, ibuprofen, irinotecan, isotretinoin, itraconazole, ivermectin, ketoconazole, ketorolac, lamotrigine, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) or NEP inhibitors, fenofibrate, fexofenadine, flutamide, glipizide, glyburide, isradipine, loratadine, lovastatin, melphalan, nifedipine, leflunomide, loperamide, lycopenes, mifepristone, mefloquine, methadone, methoxsalen, metronidazole, miconazole, midazolam, miglitol, mitoxantrone, nabumetone, nalbuphine, naratriptan, nelfinavir, nilutamide, nizatidine, oxaprozin, paclitaxel, pentazocine, pioglitazone, pizotefin, pravastatin, probucol, pyridostigmine, raloxifene, rofecoxib, repaglinide, rifapentine, rimexolone, rizatriptan, rosiglitazone, saquinavir, sibutramine, sildenafil citrate, simvastatin, sirolimus, spironolactone, sumatriptan, tacrine, tacrolimus, tamoxifen, tamsulosin, targretin, tazarotene, teniposide, terbinafine, tiagabine, tizanidine, topiramate, topotecan, toremifene, tramadol, tretinoin, troglitazone, trovafloxacin, verteporfin, vigabatrin, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, zafirlukast, zileuton, zolmitriptan, zolpidem, zopiclone, proton pump inhibitors such as lansoprazole, esomeprazole, omeprazole, and rabeprazole, MAP kinase inhibitors, ICE inhibitors such as pralnacasan, pseudoephedrine, indomethacin, naproxen, estrogens, testosterones, steroids, phenyloin, ergotamines and cannabinoids, pharmaceutically acceptable salts, isomers, prodrugs and derivatives thereof.

12. The osmotic dosage form of claim 11 , wherein the pharmaceutically active agent is one or more of albuterol, acyclovir, adriamycin, carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, cyclosporin, griseofulvin, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) or NEP inhibitors, fenofibrate, fexofenadine flutamide, glipizide, glyburide, isradipine, loratadine, lovastatin, melphalan, nifedipine, proton pump inhibitors, MAP kinase inhibitors, pralnacasan, pseudoephedrine, indomethacin, naproxen, estrogens, testosterones, steroids, phenyloin, sumatriptan, ergotamines or cannabinoids, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts, isomers, or prodrugs or derivatives thereof.

13. The osmotic dosage form of claim 12 , wherein the pharmaceutically active agent is one or more of carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, fenofibrate, fexofenadine, glipizide, lorsoprasole, esomeprazole and rabeprozole, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts, isomers, or prodrugs or derivatives thereof.

14. The osmotic dosage form of claim 1 or claim 2 , wherein the pharmaceutically active agent is one or more of diltiazem HCl, verapamil HCl, metoprolol, succinate, quetiapine fumarate, valganciclovir HCl, theophylline, and naproxene sodium.

15. The osmotic dosage form of claim 14 , wherein the pharmaceutically active agent is glipizide.

16. The composition of claim 1 or claim 2 , wherein the osmotic agent is selected from a group consisting of xylitiol, mannitol, sorbitol, inositol, sucrose, lactose, dextrose, maltodextrin and salts.

17. The dosage form of claims 1 and 2 , comprising from 4% to 6% by weight of the core of meglumine.