Patent ID: 8337733

Claim:
A process for the preparation of a pharmaceutical composition of a macrolide antibiotic in essentially noncrystalline form, comprising mixing the macrolide antibiotic and a water-swellable polymer as a blend, wherein the mixing takes place in an extruder in the presence of water to obtain a mixture; and forcing the mixture through a die, wherein said water-swellable polymer is selected from crosslinked polyvinylpyrrolidone, crosslinked sodium carboxymethyl-cellulose, and crosslinked polyacrylic acid, provided that when the water-swellable polymer does not comprise crosslinked polyacrylic acid, the blend further comprises a proton donor that is mixed with the macrolide antibiotic and the water-swellable polymer; wherein the ratio by weight of the blend to water is at least 1:1.