Process for coating solid particles

1. A process for coating solid particles comprising the steps of

a) contacting a gas with a fluid composition comprising i) from 0.01 to 30 weight percent of a polymer, ii) from 99.99 to 70 percent of a liquid diluent, based on the total weight of the polymer i) and the liquid diluent ii), to produce a foam, and

b) contacting the produced foam with solid particles and agitating the particles to provide a coating on the solid particles,

wherein the solid particles comprise a drug or the fluid composition comprises a drug or the solid particles and the fluid composition comprise a drug,

wherein the polymer i) has a weight average molecular weight of at least 10,000 and is one or more polymers selected from the group consisting of cellulose ethers, cellulose esters, polyalkylene oxides, homo- and copolymers of vinyl alcohol, and homo- and copolymers of vinylpyrrolidone,

wherein the liquid diluent is a monofunctional alcohol, alkene, alkane, halogenated alkene, halogenated alkane, ether, ester, a paraffin oil, an animal oil, a vegetable oil, or water, and

wherein the amount of other additives, if present, is up to 25 weight percent, based upon the total weight of the fluid composition.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the solid particles have an average diameter of from 1 to 25 mm.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein tablets, granules, pellets, caplets, capsules, lozenges, suppositories, pessaries or implantable dosage forms are coated.

4. The process of claim 3 wherein the fluid composition comprises from 0.1 to 20 weight percent of the polymer i) and from 99.9 to 80 percent of the liquid diluent ii), based on the total weight of the polymer i) and the liquid diluent ii).

5. The process of claim 3 wherein the polymer i) is a C 1 –C 3 -alkyl cellulose, a C 1 –C 3 -alkyl hydroxy-C 1-3 alkyl cellulose or a hydroxy-C 1-3 -alkyl cellulose or a homo- or copolymers of vinylpyrrolidone or polyethylene oxide.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein the fluid composition comprises from 0.01 to 20 weight percent of the polymer i) and from 99.9 to 80 percent of the liquid diluent ii), based on the polymer i) and the liquid diluent ii).

7. The process of claim 6 wherein the polymer i) is a C 1 –C 3 -alkyl cellulose, a C 1 –C 3 -alkyl hydroxy C 1-3 -alkyl cellulose or a hydroxy-C 1-3 -alkyl cellulose or a homo- or copolymers of vinylpyrrolidone or polyethylene oxide.

8. The process of claim 7 wherein the polymer i) is a methyl cellulose with a methyl molar substitution DS methoxyl of from 0.05 to 3.0 or a hydroxypropyl methylcellulose with a DS methoxyl of from 0.5 to 3.0 or a MD hydroxypropyxyl of from 0.05 to 2.0.

9. The process of claim 8 wherein the foam is a water-based air foam.

10. The process of claim 7 wherein the foam is a water-based air foam.

11. The process of claim 1 wherein the polymer i) is a C 1 –C 3 -alkyl cellulose, a C 1 –C 3 -alkyl hydroxy-C 1-3 -alkyl cellulose or a hydroxy-C 1-3 -alkyl cellulose or a homo- or copolymers of vinylpyrrolidone or polyethylene oxide.

12. The process of claim 11 wherein the polymer i) is methyl cellulose with a methyl molar substitution DS methoxyl of from 0.5 to 3.0 and a MS hydroxpropyxyl of from 0.05 to 2.0.

13. The process of claim 1 wherein the fluid composition and the foam do not comprise a surfactant other than the polymer i).

14. The process of claim 1 wherein the foam is a water-based air foam.

15. The process of claim 1 wherein agitation of the particles in step b) is started before the foam is added to the particles and is continued during the foam addition.

16. The process of claim 1 wherein in step b) foam is added to continuously agitated solid particles.

17. A process for coating solid particles comprising the steps of

a) contacting a gas with a fluid composition comprising i) from 0.01 to 30 weight percent of a polymer, ii) from 99.9 to 70 percent of a liquid diluent, based on the total weight of the polymer i) and the liquid diluent ii), to produce a foam, and

b) contacting the produced foam with solid particles and agitating the particles to provide a coating on the solid particles,

wherein the solid particles comprise a drug or the fluid composition comprises a drug or the solid particles and the fluid composition comprise a drug,

wherein the polymer i) has a weight average molecular weight of at least 10,000 and is a cellulose ether or a cellulose ester and

wherein the amount of other additives, if present, is up to 25 weight percent, based upon the total weight of the fluid composition.