Tablet manufacturing process and defects of tablets

 

Tablet manufacturing process and defects of tablets

Introduction:

Tablet is defined as solid pharmaceutical dosage form containing drug substance generally with suitable diluents and prepared by either compression or molding methods.

Tablets remain popular as a dosage form because of the advantages afforded, both to the manufacturer (e.g. simplicity and economy of the preparation, stability, and convenience in packing, shipping and dispensing) and the patient. Because of their composition, method of manufacture or intended use, tablets present a variety of characteristics and consequently there are several categories of tablets.

Tablet formulation and design may be described as the process whereby the formulator ensures that the correct amount of the drug in the right form is delivered at or over the proper time at the proper rate and in the desired location, while having its chemical integrity protected to that point. Latest concepts and regulations focus on bioavailability, bioequivalence and validation etc. impact formulation designing and manufacture.

 

The oral route of drug administration is the most important method of drug administration for systemic effects.

The Parenteral route of administration is important in treating the medical emergencies in which subject is comatose or cannot swallow and in providing various types of maintenance therapy.

Nevertheless, about 90% of all the drugs used to produce systemic effects are administered by the oral route. Among the drugs that are administered orally, solid dosage form represents the preferred class of product. Solid dosage form provides best protection to the drug against temperature, humidity, oxygen, light and stress during transportation and also ensures accuracy of dosage, compactness, portability, blandness of taste, and ease of administration.

Although the basic medicinal approach for their manufacture has remained the same, tablet technology has undergone great improvement. Efforts are being made continually to understand more clearly the physical characteristics of powder compaction and the factors affecting the availability of the drug substance from the dosage form after oral administration.

Tabletting equipment continues to improve in both production speed and the uniformity of the tablets compressed. Although tablets frequently are discoid in shape, they also exist in several shapes such as round, oval oblong, cylindrical or triangular etc.

They may differ greatly in size and weight depending on the amount of the dug substance present and the intended method of administration.

They are divided in to two general classes by whether they are made by compression or molding. Compressed tablets usually are prepared by large scale production methods, while molded tablets generally involve small-scale operations.