Preparation and Characterization of Naproxen Co-Crystals Using Quality by Design Approach

Naproxen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that is suggested for the long-term management of diseases including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, however it causes stomach ulcers right away. Naproxen is a low-solubility, high-permeability BCS class II drug. Cinnamic acid was used to create pharmaceutical co-crystals of naproxen that would enhance the drug's physicochemical characteristics, such as solubility, stability, and bioavailability. Naproxen-cinnamic acid co-crystals were made via the solvent drop grinding technique. DSC, IR, and XRD were used to characterise the novel produced crystalline form and verify the homogeneity and purity of the co-crystals. Naproxen-cinnamic acid co-crystals demonstrated an 8.61-fold increase in solubility over the pure drug. When compared to the Naproxen marketed formulation, co-crystals of cinnamic acid tablets exhibited a higher rate of dissolution. The research findings indicate that co-crystals of naproxen-cinnamic acid may be a promising substitute for modifying and improving the physicochemical characteristics of pure drug.