tablets

• Solid dosage forms


  Pharmaceutical dosage forms that are solid in nature
• When formulating any pharmaceutical dosage form, there is an equilibrium between the bioavailability of the product, its chemical and physical stability and the technical feasibility of producing it
• Any changes made to a formulation in an attempt to optimize one property is likely to have an effect on the other two properties that must be considered
• This is especially true of immediate-release solid dosage forms
• Tablets and hard gelatin capsules form the vast majority of solid dosage forms on the market
• Tablet


  A pharmaceutical oral dosage form or solid unit dosage form comprising a mixture of active substances and excipients, usually in powder form, that are pressed or compacted into a solid dose
• Tablets


  • Ensure a consistent dose of medicine that is easy to consume
• Advantages of administering medication in pill form

  • Affordability
  • Stable dosage form
  • Accurate dosing
  • Ease of use
  • Light and compact
  • Convenience of combination products
  • Bitter medicines can be coated to make them more palatable
• Disadvantages of tablets


  • Aftertaste
  • Slower acting
  • More likely to irritate the gastrointestinal tract causing nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
• Enteric coated tablets


  Coated with special polymers that prevent them from dissolving in stomach acid and allow them to be absorbed in the small intestine
• Enteric coated tablets


  • Certain antibiotics and proton pump inhibitors to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease
• Sublingual tablets


  Placed under the tongue, where they dissolve and are absorbed into the blood via the oral mucosa
• Sublingual tablets


  • Sublingual nitroglycerine used to treat angina chest pain
• Sublingual tablets


  • Useful when you want the drug to work quickly, suitable for people who cannot swallow tablets, useful for medications that are not well absorbed in the stomach or if their effectiveness is decreased by digestion
• Disadvantages of sublingual tablets

  • Eating, drinking, and smoking can affect how well they work
  • They can irritate the mouth
• Chewable tablets


  Form of medicine that is chewed and then swallowed
• Advantages of chewable tablets

  • Quick action
  • Come in various flavors
  • You don't need water to swallow them, so you can take them anytime
• Disadvantages of chewable tablets

  • It may not taste pleasant to some people
  • It may need special storage and careful handling
  • Can interfere with dental appliances
• Orally disintegrating tablets


  Pills that dissolve on the tongue, become liquified, are swallowed subconsciously, and then the tiny pieces of the drug travel to the stomach and intestines, where the absorption occurs
• Pros of orally disintegrating tablets

  • Ease of use
  • Quick onset of action
• Cons of orally disintegrating tablets

  • May be more expensive
  • May not be as stable as other solid dosage forms
• Effervescent tablets


  Dissolved in water and then drunk
• Pros of effervescent tablets

  • Ease of use
  • Better absorption
  • Reasonably quick action onset
• Cons of effervescent tablets

  • Relatively more expensive
  • You should pay attention to what type of liquid this tablet can be dissolved in
• Lozenges


  Medicated tablets that dissolve slowly in the mouth and lubricate or soothe irritated tissues in patients with sore throats
• Lozenges


  • Offer local pain relief and ease of use for children and adults who have difficulty swallowing pills
• Tablet machines


  Used to produce tablets, where powder is filled to a specified depth in a die and compressed between two punches
• Tablet compression cycle


  1. Die filling

  2. Powder compression

  3. Tablet ejection
• Rotary tablet machines


  Commercial tablet manufacturing machines with a rotating turret of punch and dies, allowing higher output
• Rotary tablet machine operation

  1. Powder filled into die cavities by suction and gravity

  2. Powder compacted between upper and lower punches

  3. Tablet ejected from die
• Properties required for an optimal tablet formulation

  • Compatibility of drug substance with excipients
  • Flow ability
  • Compatibility
  • Lubricity
  • Appearance
  • Disintegration
  • Dissolution
• Direct compression


  Tablet manufacture that does not involve the pretreatment of the drug substance apart from blending with excipients
• Advantages of direct compression

  • Simplicity and economy
  • Fewer operations
  • Lower energy consumption
  • Savings in labor costs
  • Simpler process validation
  • Improved stability and dissolution for certain drugs
• Disadvantages of direct compression

  • Cannot be used for all drug substances
  • Challenges with low dose drugs and achieving homogeneous mix
• Granulation


  The process of particle enlargement where particles are agglomerated while retaining the integrity of the original particles, using either wet or dry methods
• Purpose of granulation


  • Transforms powdered starting materials into a form suitable for tabletting, by improving flow properties, reducing elasticity, and densifying the material
• Wet granulation

  The most commonly used tablet manufacturing method, involving the addition of a liquid and a polymeric binder to the powdered starting materials, followed by drying
• Non-aqueous granulation may be used when the active substance is particularly unstable in the presence of water, when water will not wet the powder, or if the drug substance forms a significant portion of the granulate and demonstrates extreme solubility in aqueous media
• Granulation

  • Improves flow properties by increasing particle size
  • Involves addition of polymeric binder to stick particles together
  • Can reduce elasticity of starting materials, improving compatibility
  • Polymeric binders are usually hydrophilic, which can aid dissolution of hydrophobic drugs
  • Results in densification and volume reduction of starting material
  • Reduces air entrapment
• Wet Granulation


  1. Dry mixing

  2. Addition of granulating liquid

  3. Drying

  4. Milling