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The effect of particle size on the absorption of digoxin

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Summary

Measurement was made of digoxin particle size in three brands of digoxin powder used for tablet manufacture. The geometric mean particle diameters were 20, 22 and 29 µm. When the 22 µm powder was administered within a cachet absorption of the digoxin occurred slowly and low steady state levels were obtained. Ball milling of the 22 µm powder was used to produce powders of mean diameters 12 and 3.7 µm. These powders produced more rapid and more complete absorption of the digoxin. The results indicate that particle size is a major factor in the biological availability of digoxin formulations.

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Shaw, T.R.D., Carless, J.E. The effect of particle size on the absorption of digoxin. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 7, 269–273 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00560343

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