This study presents a co-spray drying formulation approach to enhance the dissolution rate of meloxicam (MX), a poorly soluble model drug, by combining it with chitosan (CHIT) and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). Ternary formulations were prepared using both mini- and medium-scale spray dryers and compared with physical mixtures and RAW MX. In vitro dissolution testing revealed a significant increase in the release rate, with up to 80% of MX dissolved within 5 min. A comprehensive set of solid-state analytical techniques (XRPD, FTIR, and confocal Raman microscopy) revealed subtle changes in MX crystallinity and hydrogen-bonding interactions with both excipients. These findings support three key mechanisms contributing to enhanced dissolution: (i) reduced agglomeration of MX via adsorption onto the CHIT surface, (ii) improved wettability of products due to the presence of SLS, and (iii) increased matrix hydrophilicity facilitating drug-medium contact. The successful scale-up using a medium-scale spray dryer demonstrated the feasibility of this strategy for industrial application. The results highlight co-spray drying with functional excipients as a robust and scalable method for improving the biopharmaceutical performance of poorly soluble drugs. The simple co-spraying of the CHIT dispersion with the drug solution, without the need to dissolve the chitosan, is additional advantage.

Department of Organic Technology University of Chemistry and Technology Prague Technická 5 Prague 166 28 Czech Republic

Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics University of Bonn Gerhard Domagk Str 3 53121 Bonn Germany

Department of Pharmaceutical Technology Faculty of Pharmacy Charles University Akademika Heyrovského 1203 8 Hradec Králové 500 05 Czech Republic

Institute of Process Engineering Faculty of Mechanical Engineering STU Bratislava Námestie slobody 17 812 31 Bratislava 1 Slovak Republic

Skin Barrier Research Group Faculty of Pharmacy Charles University Akademika Heyrovského 1203 8 Hradec Králové 500 05 Czech Republic

Zentiva k s U Kabelovny 130 102 37 Prague 10 Czech Republic

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