DOSAGE FORMS AND DRUG LABELS

• Dose

  The quantity of a drug administered to a subject at one time
• Dosage

  The specific amount and frequency of doses over a specified period of time
• Dosage form

  Drug preparations and formulations compounded in such manner as to provide a convenient means of administering a drug dose to a patient
• Active pharmaceutical ingredient (API)

  Also known as international nonproprietary name (INN) or generic name, active drug substance
• Excipients

  • Diluents/fillers
  • Binders
  • Lubricants
  • Disintegrants
  • Coatings
  • Preservatives & stabilizers
  • Colorants
  • Flavorings
• Reasons for dosage forms

  • Enables the veterinarian or lay user to measure or weigh a dose precisely
  • Other drugs may be given in such small doses that a dilution is required to permit accurate measurement
  • Some drugs require protection from light, adverse temperature, atmospheric oxygen and/or moisture
  • A special form is necessary to fit mechanical dosing devices
  • A drug may require the use of coating and/or special vehicles to promote prompt action or to prevent metabolic destruction
• Coating on a tablet or capsule

  • To protect the drug from the stomach
  • To protect the stomach from the drug
• Factors influencing dosage formulation

  • Solubility concerns
  • Biological barriers through which drugs should pass
  • First pass effect
  • Patient's medical condition
  • Urgency of the medical situation
  • Stability of the active ingredient
  • Practical, marketing and economic considerations
• Various dosage forms may exist for the same drug compound
• Classification of dosage forms according to physical property

  • Solid dosage forms (powder, capsule, tablet, pills)
  • Semisolid dosage forms (cream, ointment, paste, gel, suppository)
  • Liquid dosage forms (solution, suspension, emulsion, liniment, lotion)
  • Gas (gases, volatile liquids, aerosols)
• Classification of dosage forms according to route of administration

  • For systemic administration (enteral, parenteral, inhalation)
  • For topical administration (inhalation/nasal, epicutaneous, ophthalmic, otic)
  • Transdermal drug delivery system
• Transdermal drug delivery system

  Administration of medication through the skin but the effect is systemic, the drug is dissolved or suspended in a gel or patch and is absorbed through the skin and into the blood stream
• A dog wearing a fentanyl patch
• Drug label


  Provide information (on container or carton) that would enable the veterinarian to calculate drug dosages, prepare and administer the drug safely
• Drug package insert


  Provide additional information on how to safely prepare, administer and store medications, including side effects, adverse reactions, clinical pharmacology, and pharmacokinetics