Dosage Forms

Question 1

Drug

Answer 1

“Chemical substances used to diagnose, treat or prevent disease, or intended to affect the structure or any function of the body”

Question 2

Medicine

Answer 2

“Delivery system for administering drugs to the body in a safe, effective, accurate, reproducible, and convenient manner”
Medicines contain a drug (API) and other (usually) inactive ingredients called ingredients.

Question 3

Excipients

Answer 3

Inactive ingredients that serves as the “vehicle” or medium for a drug. They are use in the formulation of a drug product for long-term stabilisation and play an integral roles in the formulation of a stable medicinal drug and its administration.

Question 4

Biopharmaceutics

Answer 4

The study of how the physiochemical properties of the drug and medicine combine with physiological aspects of the delivery route to determine the rate and extent of the absorption

Question 5

Physiochemical properties

Answer 5

Includes molecular weight, melting point, boiling point, vapour point, molecular polarity etc.

Question 6

Physiological

Answer 6

Relating to the way in which a living organism or bodily part functions

Question 7

Formulation

Answer 7

Is the act of designing and producing a medicine from first principles
The process and the final medicine (or dosage form) depends on factors including: physiochemical properties of the drug, biopharmaceutics, disease factors, patients acceptability

Question 8

Preformulation

Answer 8

Is everything that needs to happen first with a new drug candidate, its the stage of development during which the physiochemical properties of the drug are characterised, established and understood

Question 9

Small scale manufacturing

Answer 9

Required when developing new formulations and when no commercial product is available (specials manufacture or compounding)

Question 10

Compounding

Answer 10

Is the process of combining, mixing or altering ingredients to create a medication tailored to the needs of an individual patient. Compounding includes the combining of two or more drugs.

Question 11

Pharmaceutical microbiology

Answer 11

Pharmaceutical microbiology relates to pharmaceutics in that microorganisms can cause diseases and have the capacity to spoil medicines and contaminated medicines can be lethal
The number of micro organisms acceptable in a medicine depends on the type of dosage form

Question 12

List of different delivery routes

Answer 12

Ocular (eyes)
Nasal
Pulmonary
Intra-muscular
Intradermal, topical, transdermal
Oral, buccal, sublingual
Aural (ears)
Intra-arterial
Intravenous
Rectal

Question 13

Tablets and cables (oral)

Answer 13

Very widely used dosage form - formed from compacted powders or granules
Tablet must disintegrate in the gastrointestinal tract and the drug then enter solution

Question 14

Capsule (oral)

Answer 14

Drug in a loose powder form held within a 2-piece hard shelled gelatine capsule
Capsule shell quickly dissolves in the stomach and releases the drug
Liquid/emulsions/pastes may be incorporated in a 1-piece soft gelatine capsule

Question 15

Powders and granules (oral)

Answer 15

Typically mixed with water prior to taking
Can be in a bulk or single dose

Question 16

Solution (single phase systems) (oral)

Answer 16

Where the drug and excipients are completely dissolved i.e. as a molecular dispersion, in a liquid (solvent)
Faster acting than the equivalent tablet formulation - disintegration and dissolution steps are absent

(Drug dispersed as molecules or ions)

Question 17

Suspensions (oral)

Answer 17

Drug and/or other excipients remain as solid particles dispersed in the “vehicle”
Usually employ a suspending (thickening agent) to keep the particles dispersed

(Drug dispersed as particles)

Question 18

Emulsions (oral)

Answer 18

Dispersions of (at least) two immiscible or partly miscible liquid
Medicinal oils, supplements, lipophilic oils

(One liquid phase dispersed in another, with the drug present in either phase)

Question 19

Suppositories (rectal and vaginal dosage forms)

Answer 19

Drug is incorporated, not a water soluble/dispersible base or a base which melts at body temperature
Once inserted the drug will be released to exert a local or sometimes systemic effect

Question 20

Enemas (rectal and vaginal dosage forms)

Answer 20

Liquid preparations formulations formulated for rectal delivery

Question 21

Foams (rectal and vaginal dosage forms)

Answer 21

Two-phase system administered from a pressurised container
Drug dissolved in the liquid phase

Question 22

Pessaries (rectal and vaginal dosage forms)

Answer 22

Vaginal tablets, suppositories, or capsules
Vaginal creams and gels are also available