Claims for Patent: 8,273,876

Summary for Patent: 8,273,876

Title:	Medicaments containing vardenafil hydrochloride trihydrate
Abstract:	The invention relates to a method for producing medicaments that contain vardenafil hydrochloride, essentially as trihydrate in solid form, and to medicaments that can be obtained according to this method.
Inventor(s):	Serno; Peter (Gladbach, DE), Grunenberg; Alfons (Dormagen, DE), Ohm; Andreas (Neuss, DE), Bellinghausen; Rainer (Odenthal, DE), Vollers; Eimer (Leverkusen, DE), Henck; Jan-Olav (Leverkusen, DE)
Assignee:	Bayer Intellectual Property GmbH (Monheim, DE)
Application Number:	10/521,534
Patent Claims:	1. A method for producing medicaments in the form of a coated tablet comprising vardenafil hydrochloride trihydrate and one or more excipients, said method comprising the steps of a) providing a tablet containing vardenafil hydrochloride, irrespective of which polymorphic form or mixture of polymorphic forms of vardenafil hydrochloride is initially present in the tablet, plus one or more excipients including a disintegrant; b) treating said tablet with a moistened gas for sufficient time to convert at least 90 mol % of the vardenafil hydrochloride into the trihydrate form; and c) coating said tablet with a coating agent. 2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein air is employed as the moistened gas. 3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the moistened gas has a relative humidity of from 35% to 100%. 4. A method for the treatment of erectile dysfunction comprising administering to a subject an effective amount of the coated tablet made by the method of claim 1. 5. A method for the treatment of sexual dysfunctions comprising administering to a subject an effective amount of the coated tablet made by the method of claim 1. 6. The method of claim 3, wherein the moistened gas has a relative humidity of from 50% to 99%. 7. The method of claim 3, wherein said tablet is treated with the moistened gas for from 0.5 hours to 6 months. 8. The method of claim 3, wherein said tablet is treated with the moistened gas at temperatures of 16 to 30.degree. C. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein said disintegrant is selected from the group consisting of microcrystalline cellulose, crospovidone, and mixtures thereof. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein said coating agent is selected from the group consisting of hypromellose, macrogol, and mixtures thereof. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein said coated tablet as produced contains a disintegrant and a coating agent, wherein the disintegrant is selected from the group consisting of microcrystalline cellulose, crospovidone, and mixtures thereof, and the coating agent is selected from the group consisting of hypromellose, macrogol, and mixtures thereof. 12. A method for producing medicaments in the form of a coated tablet comprising vardenafil hydrochloride trihydrate and one or more excipients, said method comprising the steps of a) providing a tablet containing vardenafil hydrochloride, irrespective of which polymorphic form or mixture of polymorphic forms of vardenafil hydrochloride is initially present in the tablet, plus one or more excipients including a disintegrant; b) coating said tablet with a coating agent; and c) treating said tablet with a moistened gas for sufficient time to convert at least 90 mol % of the vardenafil hydrochloride into the trihydrate form. 13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein air is employed as the moistened gas. 14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the moistened gas has a relative humidity of from 35% to 100%. 15. A method for the treatment of erectile dysfunction comprising administering to a subject an effective amount of the coated tablet made by the method of claim 12. 16. A method for the treatment of sexual dysfunctions comprising administering to a subject an effective amount of the coated tablet made by the method of claim 12. 17. The method of claim 12, wherein said disintegrant is selected from the group consisting of microcrystalline cellulose, crospovidone, and mixtures thereof. 18. The method of claim 12, wherein said coating agent is selected from the group consisting of hypromellose, macrogol, and mixtures thereof. 19. The method of claim 12, wherein said coated tablet as produced contains a disintegrant and a coating agent, wherein the disintegrant is selected from the group consisting of microcrystalline cellulose, crospovidone, and mixtures thereof, and the coating agent is selected from the group consisting of hypromellose, macrogol, and mixtures thereof.