Section 6: Capsule

Question 1

What is the most common dose form for adults and why?

Answer 1

• Oral solids, tablets, or capsule
• Convenient to take and carry; readily identified and attractive appearance; efficient to fabricate, package, and ship; solids tend to be more stable

Question 2

What are capsules?

Answer 2

Solid dose forms where the medicinal and excipient materials are enclosed in a gelatin shell

Question 3

True or false: capsules can be hard or soft

Answer 3

True

Question 4

What do pharmacists often use for extemporaneous compounding of oral solids?

Answer 4

Empty hard gelatin shells

Question 5

Capsules are generally meant to be taken _____

Answer 5

Intact

Question 6

When would opening of a capsule be inappropriate?

Answer 6

When enteric coated and sustained or controlled release products

Question 7

What do soft capsule shells require?

Answer 7

Very specialized equipment

Question 8

When are hard capsules shells well-suited for?

Answer 8

Extemporaneous compounding

Question 9

What are capsule shells composed of?

Answer 9

Gelatin and water

Question 10

What do soft capsule shells contain that hard shells don’t?

Answer 10

A plasticizer that may be sugar, glycerol, or more water

Question 11

True or false: soft capsule shells may be coloured with dye and/or made opaque with excipients

Answer 11

False, hard capsule shells may do this

Question 12

What percent of moisture do capsule shells contain?

Answer 12

15%

Question 13

Are capsule shells susceptible to microbial growth?

Answer 13

Yes, so storage away from excessive moisture or dryness is important

Question 14

What are the 2 parts of a capsule shell?

Answer 14

Body and cap

Question 15

What are the range of sizes for capsule shells?

Answer 15

Small #5 to large #000

Question 16

What is the weight of the material filling the shell dependent on?

Answer 16

Bulk density, which is a function of particle size

Question 17

What is the bulk density of a powder?

Answer 17

The weight of a powder in a specified volume

Question 18

What are powders composed of?

Answer 18

Particles and voids, so the volume occupied by a given number of particles depends on how closely they are packed

Question 19

What does packing of particles depend on?

Answer 19

Their shape, cohesiveness, short-range motion, and external forces

Question 20

When will bulk density of a powder increase?

Answer 20

With tapping or vibration which causes particles to move and allow smaller particles to occupy the voids between larger particles

Question 21

What is a common diluent used in preparation of capsules?

Answer 21

Lactose

Question 22

What does capsule size depend on?

Answer 22

Bulk density and quantity of powder

Question 23

What part of the capsule shell is filled?

Answer 23

Body, not cap

Question 24

What is the punch method of filling capsules?

Answer 24

• Fill is prepared using trituration and geometric dilution
• Fill spread out in layer and capsule body is punched into fill repeatedly using vertical motion until fill
• Cap loosely replaced and net weight checked, adjusted if necessary, and cap locked on

Question 25

For the preparation of capsules, when should excess be prepared and when is excess not necessary?

Answer 25

• Necessary when using punch method

- Not necessary when using filling machine

Question 26

Why should excess powder be removed from outside of capsules?

Answer 26

• Pharmaceutically elegant

- Powder is often bitter, so there is potential for undesirable topical exposure

Question 27

How are solid dose forms for oral use taken?

Answer 27

Place the dose on the tongue and swallow with a glass of beverage

Question 28

Why is it recommended to take solid oral dose forms with a beverage?

Answer 28

If taken without a beverage can lodge in esophagus

Question 29

What should the patient be counselled on if taking controlled or sustained release products?

Answer 29

Should be cautioned against breaking, chewing, or crushing the capsule

Question 30

What are the 5 steps for calculations for capsule filling?

Answer 30

1) Select shell size
2) Fill separate shells with each drug and excipient and determine and record net weight
3) Calculate the diluent displacement weight for each drug
4) Calculate the amount of diluent required for each capsule
5) Calculate the total quantities of drug and diluent required for the number of prescribed capsules