DIFFERENT DOSAGE FORMS

 DRUG: A drug is defined as “as an agent, intended for use in diagnosis, mitigation,
treatment, cure or prevention of disease in man or in other animals”. Drugs rarely
administered in their original pure state. They are administered in different dosage
forms after converting them into a suitable formulation .The non drug component used
to convert drug in a suitable formulation is called as “pharmaceutical aid” or “additive”,
which is being added to give a particular form to the formulations, to increase the
stability of the formulation or to increase patient compliance by making the formulation
elegant and palatable.
 Importance:
1) To provide a safe and convenient accurate dose of a medicine.

2) Many dosage forms are easily identified with color, shape or smell.

3) To protect the drug from various reactions like oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis etc.

4) To protect the drug from destructive effect of gastric juice, after oral administration.

5) To conceal the bitter, salty or obnoxious test or odor of a drug, it is been given in capsule
coated , tablets or flavored syrups forms.

6) To provide for the insertion of the drug in one of the body cavities e.g. rectal or vaginal.

7) To provide for the optimum drug action from topical administration.

8) To provide the maximum drug action from topical administration sites e.g. creams,
ointments, ophthalmic preparations and ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) preparations.

9) To provide sustained released action through controlled released mechanism. e.g. sustained
released tablets, capsules and suspensions.

10) To provide liquid dosage form of the drugs soluble in a suitable vehicle e.g. solutions.

11) To provide liquid preparation of the drugs which are insoluble or unstable in different
vehicles e.g. suspensions.

12) To provide the drugs within body tissues e.g. injections.

1) Dusting powders: They are of two types: 1) medicated and 2) surgical

“They are meant for external application to the skin and are of very fine nature to avoid local
irritation.”

1) Medicated dusting powder: They are used mainly for superficial skin conditions, and it
should be free from dangerous, pathogenic micro-organisms.

2) Surgical dusting powders: They are used in body cavities, major wounds, burns and
umbilical cord of infants.

2]Insufflations: These are the medicated dusting powders , meant for introduction into the
body cavities like nose , throat and vagina with the help of an apparatus known as insufflators.

These insufflators spray the powder into a stream of finely divided powder; all over the site of
application.

3] SNUFFS: These are the finely divided solid dosage form of medicament or dug which is
inhaled in nostril for its antiseptic bronchodilators and decongestion.

4] Dentifrices or Tooth powders: This are applied with the help of finger or with brush
for cleaning the surface of teeth.

-They contain a suitable soap, abrasive substance and suitable flavors.

5] Granules: The bitter, nauseous and unpleasant powders cannot be given in a tablet or
capsule, as it is to be given in large quantity, such drugs are given in the forms of granules.

- Granules are coherent mass of powders.

6] Tablets: These are solid dosage forms of drugs along with certain excipients, which are
prepared by molding or by compression.

7] Capsules: Capsules are solid unit dosage form in which one or more drugs and inert
substances are enclosed within a small shell prepared from suitable form of gelatin.
Depending upon the enclosed formulations gelatin capsule shells are hard or soft.

8] Pills: Pills are small unit solid dosage form, containing drugs and excipients to form a firm
elastic mass.

-And are intended to be administrated orally.

9] Syrups: Syrup is a saturated solution of sucrose in purified water. Simple syrup I.P
contains 66.7% W/V of sucrose whereas simple syrup contains 85% W/W sucrose.
10] Elixirs: Elixirs are sweet aromatic, hydro alcoholic preparations, and are usually colored.
11] Linctus: Linctuses are viscous liquid oral preparations generally prescribed for the relief
of cough.

12] Drops: These are the concentrated liquid preparation meant for oral administration
since drops contains coated medicine the dose must be measured accurately.

13] Liniments: Liniments are liquid or semi-liquid (viscous) usually applied to skin with
friction and rubbing on the skin.

14] Throat paints: Throat paints are viscous liquid preparations used for mouth and throat
infections. Being viscous it adheres to numerous membranes for long period, and it have a
sweet taste.

15] Sprays: sprays are the preparation of drugs which are made with the help of alcohol or
glycerin. These are applied to the mucous membrane of nose or other coat, with atomizer. The
throat sprays uses special atomizers called nebulizer.

16] Inhalation: These are liquid preparation containing volatile substances and are used to
relief congestions and inflammation of respiratory tract.

17] Nasal drops: These are the solutions of drugs instilled into the nose with the help of
droper.

18] Emulsion: An emulsion is a biphasic liquid preparation containing two immiscible liquids
one of which is dispersed as minute globules into other which acts as continuous phase , the
(internal) phase is called as (dispersed) phase and whereas the continuous phase is called as
dispersion medium external phase.

-Normally these two immiscible liquids do not stay together in a dispersed form for a long
period. So an emulsifying agent is added to it to keep the emulsion stabilized.

19] Suspensions: Suspensions are the biphasic liquid dosage form in which finely divided
solid particles are dispersed in a liquid or semi-solid vehicle. The solid particles acts as
“dispersed phase” and the solvent system acts as dispersion medium/continuous medium.

20] Ointments: Ointments are semi-solid preparations meant for the semi solid application.
Ointments usually contain drugs dissolve, suspended or emulsified in the ointment base.
21] Creams: Creams are viscous semi solid emulsions, which are meant for external use.
They are of two types:

a) Aqueous: example , vanishing creams

b) Oily creams: example, cold creams (ponds cream)

22] Paste: Paste are semi solid preparation and differ from ointment as they contain higher
proportion of finely powdered drugs like zinc oxide , calcium carbonate and starch. These
substances, makes paste vey thick and stiff.

23] Jellies: These are transparent or translucent non greasy semi solid preparation. Jellies
are of two types: medicated and non-medicated. Non- medicated are used as lubrication
jellies for surfactants.

24] Suppositories: These are semi solid dosage form of medicament for insertion into body
cavities other than mouth.

25] Pessaries: It Is a semi solid dosage form meant to be introduced into the vagina. They
are larger than rectum suppositories weighing from 4-8 gm even more .

 New technology used for some drugs dosage form:

 Implant: The hypodermic tablets are placed under the skin, by minor surgery, in order
to release drug over a long period of time.
 Fills (strips): These are meant for topical application for slow release of drug
over predetermined period of time e.g. zero order release fills, buccal strips,
spray bandages.
 Spray bandages: These bandages are prepared by spraying solution of drug
in polymer of lactic acid anhydride .the lactic polymer is made in a form and
the drug is then dispersed / dissolve In it.
 Liposome drug carrier: Liposome are phospholipids, which can transport
both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drug e.g. large multi lamellar vesicles, small
lamellar vesicles, large lamellar vesicles.
 Control drug delivery modules:
These CDDM devices which are formed by embedding the drug within a polymeric matrix so
that drug is released slowly in the body over a long period of time .
 Nano particles: the particle size of the system is in nano meter range i.e. 200 to 500
nm that is they are called as nano particles .the system consist of a drug and a carrier,
to deposit the drug at the target site .
 Pro-drugs: The compound which undergoes biotransformation, before giving the
desired pharmacological activity is called as pro drugs or pro agents. Usually these are
Easter or Amide of parent drug. These are useful in improving the solubility, stability,
bioavailability, masking the unpleasant taste and odor of the parent drug.