Lecture 7: Tablets 1 Flashcards
Name the common types of tablet.
- Oral tablet
- Orally disintegrating tablet
- Chewable tablet
- Compressed lozenges
- Effervescent tablet
- Sublingual tablet
What are orally disintegrating tablets?
Tablets that dissolve rapidly in the mouth within seconds.
They produce a fine dispersion which is then swallowed by the patient.
Useful for people who have difficulty swallowing tablets.
What is the purpose of chewable tablets?
For people who have difficulty swallowing tablets
What is the purpose of compressed lozenges?
They allow for slow release of the medication into the mouth or throat
What are sublingual tablets used for?
For drugs readily absorbed by the oral mucosa
For drugs that get inactivated by enzyme action or acidity in the GI tract
What are the steps that allow for drug release from oral dosage forms?
- Wetting & disintegration/deagglomeration
- Dissolution
What are the main categories of excipients used in oral tablets?
- Diluent / filler
- Binder
- Disintegrant
- Glidant
- Lubricant
(Less important ones: Anticaking agent / Antioxidant / Coating agent / Colouring agent / Dissolution retardant /
Flavouring agent / Preservative / Solubilizing agent / Sweetening agent / Wetting agent)
What is the purpose of a diluent / filler?
To increase the tablet volume or weight
What are some properties that we desire from a diluent/filler?
- Good powder flow
- Good tablet compaction strength –> good tensile strength so they wont break easily
What are some common diluent/fillers used in tablets?
- Lactose
- Mannitol
- Microcrystalline cellulose
- Starch
- Talc
What is the purpose of a binder in tablets?
- Facilitates the adhesion of API and excipients during direct compression
- Facilitates the agglomeration of powder into granules during granulation
These help to improve the tensile strength of the tablets
What are some common binders used in tablets?
- Hydroxypropyl cellulose
- Hypromellose (HPMC)
- Lactose
- Povidone
- Starch
What is the purpose of a disintegrant in tablets?
To facilitate the uptake of water into the tablet, or allow the tablet to swell when it comes into contact with water.
This allows the tablet to expand, which breaks the bonds holding the tablet together.
What are common disintegrants used in tablets?
- Colloidal silicon dioxide
- Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC)
- Povidone
- Starch
- Sodium starch glycolate
- Starch
What are the mechanisms by which a disintegrant promotes disintegration of a tablet?
- Swelling
- Wicking
- Strain recovery
Explain the process of swelling for disintegrants.
There is a large increase in volume upon hydration, which forces the components apart
They remain as distinct entities after wetting
What are superdisintegrants? Give an example.
They have very strong swelling –> increase to 300x of its original volume
example: sodium starch glycolate
Explain the process of wicking for disintegrants.
Wicking happens to hydrophilic compounds because they attract water
The liquid is absorbed by capillary action.
Water reaches the disintegrants which swell. This causes the intermolecular forces to break.
Explain the process of strain recovery for disintegrants.
In the tablet, the disintegrant is deformed under compression. When it comes into contact with water, it regains its orginal shape, causing the tablet to disintegrate.
What is the purpose of a glidant in a tablet?
- It promotes powder flow
- Reduces caking and clumping, which can happen when powders are stored in bulk.
- Prevents the powder from sticking to surfaces during emptying of powder hoppers, processing and during compression, preventing blockages etc.
What are the mechanisms by which glidants promote powder flow and prevent sticking?
- They adsorb onto the surfaces of larger particles to help reduce particle-particle adhesive and cohesive forces
- They are dispersed between the larger particles and reduce the friction between them.
What are examples of glidants used in tablets?
- Colloidal silicon dioxide
- Talc