Our research group is interested in isolating the principal component from the commercially available drugs (for example anti-fungal and anti-diabetics). Is there some particular way to remove fillers from them?
Most of the fillers used in pills are insoluble in organic solvents, and most other things for that matter. Crush the pills, extract ~5 times with a solvent that the drug should be soluble in and compatible with. To be thorough, sonicate the crushed pills for each extraction.
Unfortunately the best information for doing this would likely come from clandestine sources.
The main problem with fillers is that the insoluble ones can make solvent-solvent extraction difficult, and they can be difficult to remove by filtration. A centrifuge is a very handy tool for removing troublesome solids.
To address both issues raised by James and Eric:
Crush the pills, add water. The fillers will generally expand and turn the aqueous solution into a gel-like mess. Add ethanol or methanol this will "dehydrate" the gel making it easier to filter out. You could repeat this process with the remaining solid to maximize recovery. Then dry down the aqueous/alcoholic solution and redissolve in the appropriate solvent. Bear in mind this will include anything in the pills that are soluble in water and/or alcohol so you may need to further purify the active component.
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