Polymers used in film coating fall into the following categories.
- Cellulose ethers e.g., Hydroxy Propyl Methyl Cellulose (HPMC), Hydroxy Propyl Cellulose (HPC), Ethyl Cellulose (EC), Methyl Cellulose.
- Vinyl polymers e.g., polyvinyl pyrrolidone.
- Glycols e.g., high molecular weight polyethylene glycol.
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Which polymer is used in film coating of tablets?
Polyvinyl alcohol-polyethylene glycol copolymers. This is a synthetic polymer that is mainly used in immediate-release film coating of pharmaceutical dosage forms. It is a hydrophilic freely water-soluble polymer, consisting of approximately 75% vinyl alcohol units and 25% ethylene glycol units.
Which ingredients are commonly used as coating agents for film coating?
What is the composition of a typical coating formula?
- Cellulosics, such as hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) , Hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), and ethyl cellulose (EC)
- Vinyls, such as polyvinyl alcohol.
- Acrylics, such as methacrylic acid / ethylacrylate copolymers (often used for enteric or delayed release coatings)
What are the various components of film coating solution?
The main components of film-coating formulations are a polymer, plasticizer, colorant, and solvent (or vehicle).
What is film coating used for?
Film coating is a common step in tablet manufacture that can be used to improve product appearance, organoleptic properties, or to facilitate swallowing. Functional film coats can also be used as a part of the product’s stabilisation strategy and to modify or delay drug release.
What is the purpose of film coating?
The purpose of film coating includes esthetic enhancement, increased shelf life, taste masking, moderating the release profile of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), trade-marking, and protection of intellectual property. The thickness of the film is generally less than 100 μm.
What is film-coated tablet meaning?
Definition of ‘film-coating’
The outer layer applied in film-coating makes tablets easier to swallow. Film-coating is a process in which a tablet, capsule, or pellet is covered by a thin layer of film to protect it or make it easier to swallow.
What is the benefit of film-coated tablets?
In non-functional films, the tablet core is provided with a thin film coating, to e.g. isolate the drug and thus prevent its volatilization. The protective film improves the mechanical stability, the aesthetics, the identity, the storage conditions and the flow properties as well as the surface structure of the tablet.
What is the difference between film coating and sugar coating?
Film coating involves the deposition, usually by spraying a liquid coating system, of a thin film of a polymer-based formulation onto the surface of a tablet, capsule or multiparticulate core. Sugar coating is a more traditional process closely resembling that used for coating confectionery products.
What is film coating process?
Film coating involves the deposition of a thin layer of film-forming polymeric onto a product substrate. The process can be carried out using conventional panning equipment but nowadays more sophisticated equipment is used to achieve efficient drying, high degree of automation and coating time.
What is difference between tablet and film tablet?
Tablets can be either coated with a sugar or film coating, or uncoated. Uncoated tablets are rougher, may be more difficult to swallow, and often leave a bad taste in the mouth when swallowed. A coated tablet generally goes down easier and with less aftertaste.
Where do film coated tablets dissolve?
Enteric coated tablets have a coating that is designed not to dissolve in the acidic environment of the stomach but to pass through the stomach into the small intestine prior to the beginning of dissolution.