Tablets

• PHARMACEUTICAL TABLETS - A dosage form containing drug substance with or without suitable diluents and are prepared either by compression or molding
• Production aspect - Large scale production at the lowest cost, High stability, Convenience in packaging, shipping, and dispensing
• User aspect - Greatest dose precision & least content variability, Portability, Ease of administration, Can provide control of drug release
• Pharmaceutical Tablets Advantages:

  • Production aspect
  • User aspect
• TYPES OF PHARMACEUTICAL TABLETS:

  • Compressed Tablets
  • Molded Tablets
  • Buccal Tablets
  • Sublingual Tablets
  • Chewable Tablets
  • Effervescent Tablets
  • Hypodermic Tablets
  • Dispensing Tablets
  • Vaginal Tablets
  • Coated Tablets
  • Film-Coated Tablets
  • Enteric Coated Tablets
  • Controlled-release Tablets
  • Lozenges
  • Implants
• TABLET EXCIPIENTS:

  • Diluents
  • Binders
  • Miscellaneous
  • Disintegrants
  • Flow Activators
  • Coating Materials
  • Colorants
  • Flavorants
  • Sweeteners
• Controlled-release Tablets:

  • Immediate-Release Tablets
  • Rapidly Disintegrating Tablets
  • Extended-release Tablets
• METHODS OF MANUFACTURING:

  • Tablet Compression
  • Tablet Coating
• Tablet Compression:

  • Dry granulation
  • Wet granulation
  • Direct compression
• Dry granulation:

  • Slugging – produced/formed slugs
  • Roller compaction – form sheets
• Tablet Coating:

  • Sugar Coating
  • Film Coating
• GENERAL QUALITY CONTROL TESTS FOR TABLETS:

  • Appearance
  • Size and Shape
  • Breaking force
  • Friability
  • Weight variation test
  • Drug content uniformity
  • Disintegration
• Natural Sweeteners:

  • Sucrose
  • Liquid glucose
• Synthetic Sweeteners:

  • Sucralose – 1000x than sucrose
  • Saccharin – 500x than sucrose
  • Saccharin Na – 300x than sucrose
  • Aspartame – 180-200x than sucrose
  • Cyclamates – 30x than sucrose
• Lactose – tablet/capsule

  Mannitol – chewable

  Xylitol – sugar free
• Binders - adhesives
• Diluents:

  • starch
  • sucrose
  • mannitol
  • xylitol
  • dicalcium phosphate
• Multi-compressed tablets - 2 or more layers

  of ingredients
• Compressed Tablets - formed by compression of powdered crystalline, or granular materials by the application of high pressure, utilizing steel punches and die. Coated or uncoated
• Diluent – combination of sucrose and lactose
• Molded Tablets - prepared by molding, soft and soluble, rapid dissolution
• Buccal Tablets - flat, oval tablets intended to be dissolved in the

  buccal cavity. 4 hrs. integration time
• Sublingual Tablets - placed under the tongue, used for its rapid action,

  goes directly to the systemic circulation. 2-3 mins disintegration time
• Mannitol – used as a sweetening agent and diluent in chewable tablets

  due to its cooling effect
• Chewable Tablets - chewed from the mouth. Advisable for patients with difficulty swallowing
• Effervescent Tablets- Released CO2 to mask the taste of the drug. Uncoated, contains NAHCO3, tartaric acid, citric acid
• Hypodermic Tablets - Soft, readily soluble tablets. Dissolved in a suitable vehicle (water for injections) and administered by parental route. No longer available.
• Hypodermic Tablets advantage:

  • easily carried in the medicine bag
• Hypodermic Tablets disadvantage:

  • difficulty in achieving sterility
• Dispensing Tablets - No longer used. For potent substances. An ingredient used to compound prescriptions
• Vaginal Tablets

  • Uncoated and bullet-ovoid shaped tablets for

  localized effects

  • Contain antibacterial (against Hemophilia vaginitis)

  and antifungals (against C. albicans)
• Coated Tablets - Compressed tablets containing a sugar coating
• Coated Tablets advantage:

  • Mask taste
  • Protect the enclosed drug
• Coated Tablets disadvantages:

  • Adds weight (50%)
  • Time-consuming
  • Requires expertise
• 3 Types of coated tablets:

  • Sugar coated
  • Film coated
  • Enteric coated
• Film-Coated Tablets - Involves inactivation of thin plastics-like material on the tablet. Cellulose acetate phthalate
• Enteric Coated Tablets - Tablets meant to disintegrate at the small intestine. pH less than 4. Delayed release
• Immediate-Release Tablets - Immediate disintegration and release of medication. No special rate-controlling features, such as special

  coatings and other techniques
• Most common types of immediate release tablets:

  • Chewable
  • effervescent
  • buccal tablets
• Rapidly Disintegrating Tablets - Orally dispersible tablets, quick disintegrating tablets, mouth dissolving tablets, fast-disintegrating

  tablets, fast-dissolving tablets, rapid-dissolving tablets, or porous tablets