TBL 4 - Pharmaceutical formulations Flashcards
What is a drug?
The active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) is a chemical compound with pharmacological (or other direct) effect intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of disease.
Why can’t be the API be given along?
Using API in its pure state is rare due to low doses being administered in therapeutic state. Usually between 50 to 500mg of API per dose.
Why is it acceptable to add additional material to API?
As if the pure state of API by itself yields small quantities so material are added to the API to yield product (e.g. a tablet) of acceptable size for patient use.
What would happen if tablets were smaller from its recommended size?
Tablets any smaller would be difficult to manufacture and would affect patient compliance.
what would the reason be for API to be unsuitable in it’s pure form?
In some cases exhibits unfavourable physical and chemical properties e.g. API shows poor aq solubility, may not survive the acidic environment of stomach or may exhibit unfavourable physical characteristic such as poor powder flow.
what is a pharmaceutical formulation?
a specific combination of API’s and excipients.
What are excipients?
are pharmacologically inert ingredients used to give the final dosage form (tablet, capsule, cream etc) body (mass) or to control its characteristics. - excipients serve as a medium or vehicle for one or more API’s.
What is a dosage form?
a physical form in which an API is given to patients.
What are examples of solid dosage forms?
tablets, capsules, powders
What are examples of semi-solid dosage forms?
creams, ointments
What are liquid dosage forms?
injectables, syrups
what does the dosage form of a pharmaceutical product show?
its method of entry/delivery (route of administration) into a biological system.
What is the choice of dosage form dependent on?
the physical/chemical properties of API, intended site of action and required onset of action.
What is enteral (oral) administration?
Is the dosing of a drug for the system-wide effects but delivery is via GI tract. - most common route - from mouth to G-tube.
What are the pros of oral administration (4 things)
- Non-invasive
- can be modified for extended release
- convenient
- usually less expensive then other forms
What are the cons of oral adminsteration (7 things)?
- Not appropriate for unconscious patients
- requires time for absorption and distribution
- Patients may be unable to swallow
- Absorption time affected by food, drugs, stomach acid and condition of gut
- Metabolic processes in the GI tract may be problematic for some drugs
- May cause patient discomfort/nausea
- Sublingual/buccal tablets may not be taken correctly if patient is not appropriately instructed/counselled
what is a bulk powder?
are multi-dose preparations consisting of solid, loose, dry particles of varying degrees of fineness. - contain 1 or more active ingredients with or without excipients also has cooling matter and flavouring substances.
what does the pharmaceutical bulk powders usually contain?
contains non-potent medicaments (substance used for medical treatment) such as antacids since the patient measures a dose by volume using 5ml medicine spoon.
what is a powder dispersed in?
dispersed in water- effervescent powders dissolved before taking.
what is divided powders?
are single-dose presentations (e.g. small sachet) that are intended to be issued to patient to take in or with water e.g. Lemsip sachets.
what are granules?
are agglomerates (collect or form into mass) of powder mixes , usually of drug plus excipients.
How can pharmaceutical granules be prepared?
can be bulk or divided and could be prepared by wet or dry granulation.
How can some granules be taken?
some granules are placed on the tongue and swallowed with water, whereas other are intended to be dissolved in water before taking
What do the effervescent granules evolve?
evolve carbon dioxide when added to water.
What are tablets?
are solid dosage forms consisting of active ingredients and suitable pharmaceutical excipients
What are the advantages of tablets to the patient (5 things)?
- Accuracy of dosage
- compactness
- portability
- blandness of taste
- ease of administration
What are the advantages of tablets to the manufacture (6 things)?
- simplicity
- economy of preparation
- stability
- convivence in packaging
- shipping
- Dispensing
What are the disadvantages of tablets?
- drugs with poor wetting
- Slow dissolution
- intermediate to large doses difficult to formulate/manufacture as tablet to provide adequate or full drug bioavailability
What does paracetamol resist?
resists compression into dense compacts.
what do drugs that are bitter tasting, objective odour or sensitive to oxygen or moisture require?
encapsulation or entrapment prior to compression or tablets may require coating
Filler (or diluent) is a common type of excipient used in tablets what is the most common filler?
Lactose is included to increase size of tablet - necessary as amount of API is so tiny so tablet would be too small to handle it.
When is a filler not necessary?
when the dose of a drug is high
What could be a potential alternative excipient to produce tablets with improved physiochemical and biopharmaceutical performance?
engineered xylitol (used as sugar substitute)
What is a binder?
for example starch paste added to promote granulation to ensure free flowing properties of the particles.
Why is using a binder important?
in order to promote cohesive compacts during direct compression and ensure tablet remaining intact after compression.
What is distintegrant?
for example starch helps the tablet break down into small fragments, when it’s ingested. - helps the medicine to dissolve and taken up by the body so it can act more quickly.
what is the most traditional distintegrant in tablets?
starch - conc up to 10%
What does glidants improve?
improve the flowability of tablet granules or powder by reducing the friction between particles, preventing the formation of lumps.
What is the most commonly used glidants?
Colloidal silica (aerosil), 0.2% by weight
What is anti-adherent used for?
e.g. magnesium stearate, stop the powder from sticking to the equipment as the tablet is being made.
What is a lubricants?
e.g. aluminium stearate, talc and PEG, ensure that the tablet has a smooth surface. They reduce friction that occurs between the wall of the tablets and walls of the die cavity when the tablet is ejected.
Why are colourants added to tablets?
are added to help you to recognise your tablet make it easier to take your medicine correctly
Why are flavouring agents used?
help improve tablets taste. - limited to chewable tablets or tablets that are intended to dissolve in mouth, to impart pleasant taste, masking unpleasant tasting APIs.
What are capsules?
solid dosage forms in which medicinal agents and/or excipients are enclosed within a small shell (often of gelatin).
what are gelatin capsules composed of?
sugar, gelatin and water
What are the advantages of capsules over liquid forms?(3 things)
- efficiently manufacture
- produced at low cost
- more stable with longer half-life
What are the advantages of capsules over solid dosage forms (5 things)?
- being more elegant
- generally improved bioavailability
- Versatile forms - can carry liquid, semisolid or solid drugs
- easily prepared extemporaneously
- easily protected from light (opaque shell)
What are oral solutions?
are homogenous liquid preparations for oral use containing one or more active ingredients dissolved in a suitable vehicle (commonly water)
What should oral solutions be clear and free from?
precipitate
What would a change in colour or cloudiness of solutions indicate?
indicates degradation or microbial contamination
What are the PROS of oral solutions?
- Solutions are absorbed faster than solid dosage forms
- Generally cause less GI irritation
- phase separation is not a concern with solutions as it may be for suspensions and emulsions
What are the CONS of oral solutions?
- Susceptible to microbial contamination
- possible hydrolysis of APIs in aq solutions
- taste of some drugs is more unpleasant when in solution
What are the additives used in the formulation of oral solutions (4 things)?
- buffers
- flavouring agents
- antioxidants
- preservatives
Who is the target audience for the administration of oral solutions?
young children
What are oral emulsions?
- liquid preparations for oral use containing 1 or more active ingredients.
- Stabilised oil-in-water dispersions
- Either or both phases contain dissolved solids.
- solids may also be suspended in oral emulsions
What state is emulsions in for oral administrations?
oil (active ingredient) in water and facilitate the administration’s of oily substances such as castor oil or liquid paraffin in a more palatable form
what are oral suspensions?
liquid preparations containing one or more active ingredients suspended in suitable vehicle
What are suspensions useful for?
useful for administrating insoluble or poorly soluble drugs
What forms a simple syrup?
a liquid preparation of liquid in water forms simple syrup (e.g. 85% sucrose) to which one or more active ingredients can be added to form a medicated syrup.
Why are syrups often used?
often used as flavouring syrups to mask the unpleasant taste of some APIs, predominantly for administration in children (e.g. amoxicillin or paracetamol syrup)
Why are syrups popular in the treatment of coughs or sore throats?
as their increased viscosity allows them increased contact time with the affected sites.
What is an elixir?
a liquid oral preparation that usually contains either potent or unpleasant-tasting drugs.
what is the colour of the formulation of elixirs?
they are clear
What does elixirs contain?
contains a high proportion of sugar or other sweetening agent, included to mask the offensive or nauseating taste.
what are paediatric elixirs formulated with?
formulated with fruit syrups as a base flavouring agent
What are paediatric elixirs contained with?
Non-aq solvents (alcohol, glycerine or propylene glycol) form a significant proportion of the vehicle used in elixirs or solubilising agents.
What is a linctus?
a liquid oral preparation used for demulcent, expectorant or sedative purpose to treat a cough.
What is demulcent?
forms a soothing film over a mucus membrane, relieving minor pain and inflammation.
what is expectorant?
increases the production of hydration of secretions
How is linctus intended to be taken?
intended to be sipped slowly, coating throat in an undiluted form. So, linctus is formulated to be viscous solution containing sugars.
What are oral drops?
liquid preparations intended to be administered in small volumes with the aid of a suitable measuring device. may be solutions, suspensions or emulsions
What are parenteral administration?
Is the dosing of a drug for systemic (whole body distribution) via route other than the GI system.
What is an example of a parenteral administration?
medicines given by injections - some drugs only available in injectable form and this route is a fast drug action
Routes that injections can take are…. (5 things)
- Subcutaneous
- intramuscular
- intravenous
- transdermal
- implantation
What are the PROS of parenteral administration?
- Drug does not pass through intestinal tract
- provides a fast acting drug action
- eliminates many factors that might affect absorption rates
- can be used for unconscious patients, those who cannot swallow and patients who are nil by mouth
What are the CONS of parenteral adminsteration?
- Invasive
- may introduce bacteria in to the system
- painful/frightening
What is an injection?
An injection is an infusion method of putting liquid into the body, usually with a hollow needle and a syringe which is pierced through the skin to a sufficient depth for the material to be forced into the body.
What is an Intravenous (IV) adminsteration?
Involves administrating the drug through a needle placed directly into a vein. IV preparations are usually solutions that must be sterile and free of particulate matter.
What are the PROS of IV adminsteration?
- drug doesn’t pass through intestinal tract
- fast onset of action
- eliminated many of the factors that might affect absorption rates
- immediately available to the body cus introduced directly into the bloodstream
What are the CONS of IV adminsteration (6 things)?
- Invasive
- may introduce bacteria into the system
- painful/frightening
- recovery is much more difficult if a medication error or and adverse reaction occurs
- Requires a functioning cannula
- Cannula are prone to infection, tissuing
What is an intravenous injection?
a liquid administered direct into the bloodstream via a vein. it is advantageous when a rapid onset of action is needed.
What does an intramuscular administration (IM) involve?
Involves a direct injection into a large muscle mass.
What can IM medications be?
Solutions or suspensions and some formulations can be given either IV or IM
What are the PROS of IM adminsteration (4 things)?
- Drug does not pass through the intestinal tract
- fast on set action (but not as fast as IV
- eliminated many factors that might affect absorption rates.
- can be formulated for extended release