Image Analysis: A Novel Method in the Assessment of Pharmaceutical Foams

Abstract

For almost half a century foams have been present in the pharmaceutical markets worldwide. Generally, they can be defined as thin liquid or solid film separated gas bubble agglomerations, but the pharmacopoeial monograph of medicated foams recognizes only the aforementioned 1,2. Pharmaceutical foams offer an outstanding alternative to conventional dosage forms in topical treatment. Apart from the satisfactory drug delivery ability, the ease and convenience of application contributes to the high acceptance and excellent patient compliance of this dosage form. Despite the growing interest for foams, the current pharmacopoeial examinations are not sufficient for the description of their unique nature and virtue. Although image analysis can not provide an exhaustive overview on foams, it offers a great complementary method for their assessment 3,4. This research aims to demonstrate the extensive applicability of image analysis in the evaluation process of pharmaceutical foams. It also aims to make assumptions on important foam characteristics based on the composition and the microand macroscopic properties of foams.