1. Reasons why medicine is made into tablets:
1. The measurement is accurate and the difference in drug content in the tablets is small.
2. Stable quality, easy to carry, transport and take.
3. Mechanized production, large output, low cost, and hygienic standards are easy to meet.
2. Reasons why medicines are made into capsules:
1. Some medicines are bitter, and taking them in capsules can avoid the pain.
2. Some medicines are made from a mixture of various medicinal powders or are viscous liquids, and the demand for medicines is not very large, so they can be made into capsules for convenience.
3. Reduce the waste of drugs in the mouth and allow the drugs to be fully absorbed in the stomach.
3. Differences:
1. From the perspective of dosage form:
Both capsules and tablets are solid preparations. Capsules are the capsule dosage form of solid preparations, and Tablets belong to the tablet dosage form of solid preparations.
2. From the perspective of absorption speed:
Solid preparations such as capsules and tablets are mainly taken orally. After administration, the drug needs to be dissolved and then passed through the gastrointestinal tract. The epithelial cell membrane is absorbed into the blood circulation to exert its therapeutic effect. The order of absorption of oral preparations is generally capsules > tablets. In addition, the drugs in capsules are filled in the capsule shell in a powder or granular state. Unlike tablets, they do not undergo mechanical extrusion and other processes. Therefore, capsules generally take effect faster than tablets.
3. From the perspective of advantages:
One of the advantages of capsules is the solid dosage form of liquid drugs, that is, drugs with high oil content or liquid drugs that are difficult to make into tablets Made into soft capsules, they are easy to use and have clear dosage.
4. From the perspective of disintegration time limit:
① Hard capsules should be completely disintegrated within 30 minutes; soft capsules and enteric-coated capsules should be completely disintegrated within 1 hour.
② The disintegration time of ordinary tablets is 15 minutes; dispersible and soluble tablets are 3 minutes; sublingual tablets and effervescent tablets are 5 minutes; film-coated tablets are 30 minutes; extract tablets, sugar-coated tablets, and enteric-coated tablets is 1h.
In addition, capsules are prepared by preparing drugs into powders, granules, small tablets or pellets, etc., and then filling them into capsule shells. Compared with tablets, the production cost is relatively higher.
Extended information:
Characteristics of capsules:
1. It can mask the bad smell of drugs and improve drug stability. The medicine is packed in the capsule shell and can be isolated from the outside world to avoid the influence of light, air and moisture, and has a certain masking, protection and stabilizing effect on medicines with bad odor and instability.
2. It can make the medicine take effect quickly in the body. The drug is filled in capsules in the form of powder or granules. Compared with dosage forms such as tablets and pills, there is no influence of mechanical pressure during preparation and can be quickly dispersed, dissolved and absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract.
3. Liquid drugs can be turned into solid dosage forms, such as soft capsules, which are convenient to take and carry.
4. It can delay or position the release of drugs. The drug is made into granules or pellets, and suitable coating materials are selected as needed and put into capsules to make the drug have sustained release and prolonged effect. Enteric-coated capsules allow localized release of drugs into the small intestine. There are also controlled-release capsules that release drugs slowly and at a constant rate in a prescribed medium.
The reasons why tablets are made into different colors and shapes:
1. The color and shape of tablets are conducive to the difference between drug varieties or dosages to ensure that the drug is produced and used during production and use. No confusion.
Especially for patients who need to take multiple medications a day, medication errors can be reduced. Especially for elderly patients, they often remember the appearance (color, shape) of the drug rather than the name. Sometimes patients see that the color of their usual medicine has changed, and they will ask the pharmacist to confirm whether it is the same medicine. Before dispensing the medicine to the patient, the pharmacist who prepares the medicine must finally approve the appearance of the medicine to avoid errors.
2. Involving patents
Some pharmaceutical manufacturers register the appearance of their products (including size, shape, color, texture and aroma) as patents as ownership rights under trademark law, called as "trade dress." You can even identify the specific name of the drug based on its appearance.
Generic drug manufacturers are not allowed to copy the shapes, colors and sizes of these brand-name drugs.
Especially for new drugs, manufacturers will try different drug names, colors, and shapes to avoid duplicating other drugs. And they will also ask pharmacists for their opinions, such as what name/color/shape their new medicine should be, and then ask professional designers to design the color and shape of the medicine to highlight its product characteristics.
3. Improve drug stability
Different drugs have different physical and chemical properties, such as different sensitivities to light. Drugs that are unstable to light can be coated with dark colors or The capsule shell has a certain light-shielding effect.
4. Flavoring effect
The sugar coating on the outer layer of the tablet can play a flavoring role, and the sugar coating is set to different colors for differentiation.
5. Moisture-proof or anti-water loss effect
Coated tablets can prevent the drug from absorbing moisture and deteriorating or falling apart due to drying. Coating technology can also make the surface of the drug smooth and avoid powder falling off, adhesion, etc.
Baidu Encyclopedia - Capsule Drugs
Baidu Encyclopedia - Tablets
Baidu Encyclopedia - Tablets
Baidu Encyclopedia - Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms