Difference between film coated and enteric coated tablets

The major difference between film-coated and enteric-coated tablets is that sugar-coated or film-coated tablets are designed to improve the taste by masking taste and odor, whereas enteric-coated tablets are designed to release the drug or medication after the stomach e.g. in the intestine.

Tablet coating is one of the oldest pharmaceutical processes for solid dosage forms that are still in existence due to its advantages and applications. The coating is a technique by which a significantly dry, exterior layer of coating material is added to the surface of a dosage form to impart particular advantages over the uncoated dosage form. The basic principle of tablet coating is the application of coating composition to the moving tablet bed with the simultaneous use of heated air to promote solvent evaporation. The coating distribution is done either by movement of the coating pan or tablets.

Film and sugar coating:

A sugar coating is mainly a hard and thick coating of sugar around the tablet. This is a common technique used by pharmaceutical industries to mask the taste and odor of particularly bad-tasting drugs and excipients. Another advantage of film and sugar coating is that it prevents light and moisture, which can cause degradation or affect the quality of the product.

Enteric coating:

The enteric coating is also known as a gastro-resistant coating, is a barrier that controls the position of the tablet in the digestive tract where it is absorbed. The major reasons for the application of enteric coatings are to protect the acid-labile drugs from the acidic pH of gastric acid and to offer delayed release component to repeat action tablets are the reasons for the use of enteric coatings.

The difference between the film coating and enteric coating is that a film coating is a thin polymer-based coat applied on the surface used to inhibit the odor and taste, and the enteric coating is used to prevent the release of medication before it reaches the small intestine.

Types of tablet coatings:

• Sugar-coated tablets, 
• Enteric coating, 
• Gelatin coating, 
• Film coating, 
• Compression coating, 
• Electrostatic coating, 
• Magnetically assisted impaction coating, 
• Dip coating, and 
• Rotary-die coating, etc. are the types of tablet coatings.

Disadvantage of tablet coating:

The major disadvantage of tablet coating is that the process increases the cost of formulation and tablet coatings interfere in the pharmacodynamic properties of drug formulation.

Steps involved in sugar coating:

The steps involved in sugar-coating are, 

• Sealing the tablet core, 
• Sub-coating, 
• Smoothing, 
• Color coating, 
• Polishing, and 
• Printing, etc.

Written by: Team Pharmacytimess