Improving Patient Compliance with Solid Oral Dosage Forms

The most common solid oral dosage forms are tablets and capsules. These dosage forms contain an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), which is also known as the main drug substance. In this article, I will talk about solid dosage forms. This article will help you a lot by giving basic information about solid oral dosage forms and their preferences over the other dosage forms.

Solid Oral Dosage Forms

In solid oral dosage forms if we talked about the use of tablets or capsules then it is the simple process of mass transfer, following the instructions and removing the drug from the packaging which usually suggests taking or swallowing drugs that are tablets or capsules.

Dosage forms which are also called unit dosage a drug products having a specific mixture of active ingredients that is the main drug with Excipients that are inactive compounds.

Solid dosage forms are described as it is the physical form of a chemical compound used as a medicament or drug that is intended for consumption or administration.

Solid dosage forms are various types depending upon their different route of administration. It may include.

Solid dosage forms - Tablets, Capsules, Granules, Powder, Pills, Sachet.

Semisolid dosage forms - Ointments, Creams, Gels.

Liquid dosage forms - Syrup, Mixtures, Suspension, Emulsion, Linctuses, Elixirs, etc.

If we talk about the oral route of administration of a drug, then it is the most convenient route of administration for patients and tablets are the most common as well as popular solid oral dosage forms used nowadays.

It totally depends upon the dosage form of the substance what is the route of administration for drug delivery?

Dosage Forms

If we talk about the oral route of administering the drug, then it is the most important route of administration of the drug for systemic effects.

When a new drug is discovered, one of the very first questions that a pharma company is concerned about is that what is the route of administration of that drug?

The most common forms of solid oral dosage forms include compressed tablets, Controlled release tablets, and Coated tablets.

A variety of ingredients that are also called inactive ingredients are also used in the formulation of tablets.

It is to be expected that somewhat the drug which is taken by oral route produced systemic effects.

Of all the drugs that are taken by the oral route, the solid dosage form shows the most preferred class of product.

The reason is as follows:

The tablet and capsules exhibit unit dosage forms in which the regular dose of the drug is placed correctly.

Advantages of Solid Oral Dosage Forms:

1) These are the unit dosage forms that give the exact accuracy of the dose and minimum content flexibility or Variability.

2) Patients can easily afford this type of medication, so it is very cost-effective for those patients who are concerned about the cost.

3) It is very light and compressed (compact) to all oral dosage forms.

4) The packaging of these solid oral dosage forms is also the easiest and cheapest and shipping is also very easy if compared with other dosage forms.

5) product identification is also straightforward, simplest, and cheapest.

Disadvantages of Solid Oral Dosage Forms:

1) Due to the low bioavailability, the active ingredients that are present in the solid oral dosage forms may not be absorbed easily.

2) People having difficulty swallowing solid oral dosage forms mainly, tablets or capsules due to their unpleasant taste as well as their size.

3) For People who take multiple doses per day, it becomes very inconvenient for them as they must remember to take the drugs at regular intervals.

4) If solid oral dosage forms are not properly stored then they may be prone to degradation which the efficacy can affect.

5) In solid oral dosage forms it is very difficult to adjust the medication dose.

6) A few of the solid oral dosage forms can be misused or abused like opioid drugs.

7) Few solid oral dosage forms can alter the effectiveness due to the interaction with foods.

8) Some people can be allergic to the ingredients that are present in solid oral dosage forms like binders or fillers.

Hence, solid dosage forms are the most frequently used dosage forms by patients, so we can say that they (either tablets or capsules) are very patient-compliant dosage forms. Although, these tablets and capsules are manufactured on a very large scale with different production methods. These are prepared by adding active ingredients with the help of different inactive materials or ingredients.

These active or inactive materials are also known as Additives.

Basically, these additives are added in the manufacturing process of the solid oral dosage forms to enhance the handling, and their physical appearance, and to improve the stability of the drugs.

These materials as well as the production methods enhance the absorption and bioavailability of the drugs. Other than that, the physicochemical characteristics of the drugs also have a bioavailability of solid oral dosage forms.

Conclusion

Now, I hope that you have come to know very well about solid oral dosage forms. I give the information about the solid dosage forms, their benefits, and their preferences over the other dosage forms. If you have any questions or queries related to the article, then feel free to ask in the comment section.

FAQ

Ques 1- Different types of oral solid dosage forms?

Ans- Different types of oral solid dosage forms are as follows;

Tablets - Compressed as well as molded solid oral dose forms.

Capsules - Solid doses form in either a soft or hard shell.

Pills - Small, round solid oral doses forms.

Lozenges and Troches - Solid oral doses in a flavored form. It is a medicated dissolvable dosage forms.

Dragees - These are coated and medicated solid oral doses forms.

Ques 2- Guidelines for oral solid dosage forms?

Ans- Quality - The solid oral dosage forms should meet the criteria for quality and purity.

Design - The design ensures the proper stability, bioavailability, and dissolution of solid oral dosage forms.

Labeling - The labeling provides instructions about the usage as well as necessary warnings of solid oral dosage forms.

Packaging - Packaging protects the dosage form from light, moisture, and environmental conditions.

Storage - To maintain stability and potency the appropriate storage conditions should be provided.

Manufacturing - To ensure the quality of the dosage forms the manufacturing process should follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).

Testing - The dosage forms should undergo quality control testing to ensure their quality.

Ques 3- Solid oral formulation development?

Ans- Selection of active ingredient - The most important step for the formulation of solid oral dosage form.

Properties of active ingredient - Properties like solubility, stability, and particle size, are important for formulation strategy.

Selection of excipients - To enhance the stability and provide the bulk to the medicaments the selection of excipients is an important factor.

Formulation development - By selecting the appropriate processing conditions and adjusting the ratio of excipients and active drug ingredients.

Physical testing - By evaluating the appearance, size, shape, and hardness.

In-vitro testing - To evaluate the dissolution rate of the active ingredient from the formulation.

In-vivo testing - To evaluate the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the active drug ingredient in either animals or humans.

Ques 4- Most popular oral drug dosage form?

Ans- Tablet dosage forms are one of the most popular dosage forms. There are many advantages of using tablets over other dosage forms like stability, accurate dosing, and ease of manufacture which makes tablets a preferred choice either for patients or for pharmaceutical industries. Tablet dosage forms can be formulated with controlled-release or extended-release properties.

Ques 5- Pharmaceutical dosage forms?

Ans- Pharmaceutical dosage forms are of different types that are formulated to give a specific method of delivering drugs to the body.

Tablets and capsules provide the convenience of dosage and also easy to administer, although when there is rapid absorption is needed then the injectable solution is used. Creams and ointments are used for local action. Transdermal patches are used for delivering the drug through the skin.

Inhalers are used to deliver the drugs into the lungs.

Suppositories are used to deliver the drug through the rectal route.

Liquid oral dosage forms are preferred when patients are not able to take or swallow solid dosages like tablets or capsules.

Read More - What is the tablet dosage form?
Read More - What are the Excipients used in Tablet Manufacturing?

Read more - What is film coating of tablets?