A solid pharmaceutical composition comprising a water-soluble bioactive
material and an encapsulating material which is present in the
composition in the form of continuous solid phase, and in which solid
particles of the bioactive material are dispersed and encapsulated in the
continuous solid phase of the encapsulating material, wherein each of the
bioactive material and the encapsulating material is normally a solid at
room temperature and the melting point of the encapsulating material is
lower than the melting point of the bioactive material, the bioactive
material being preferably a bisphosphonate, most preferably alendronate,
and the encapsulating material includes an enhancer, preferably a mono-
or di-glyceride, or an encapsulating surfactant, preferably, a
polyoxyethylene/polyoxypropylene block copolymer having surface active
properties, and a process for preparing the composition in which solid
particles of the bioactive material are mixed with and dispersed in the
encapsulating material which is in molten (liquid) form; and cooling the
molten form of the encapsulating material to form a solid pharmaceutical
composition having the solid particles of the bioactive material
dispersed and encapsulated in a continuous solid phase of the
encapsulating material.