mohd_kaleemullah

@msu.edu.my
 CONTENTS
• DEFINITION OF TABLETS

• ADVANTAGES

• DISADVANTAGES

• TABLET EXCIPIENTS

• GRANULATION TECHNIQUES

• PROBLEMS DURING PRODUCTION

• EVALUATION OF TABLETS

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Tablets
 Definition
 Pharmaceutical tablets are solid unit dosage form,
prepared by compressing a drugs or a mixture of
drugs, with or without diluents.

 They vary in shape and differ greatly in size and

weight, depending on amount of medicinal substances
and the intended mode of administration.
 Shapes of Tablets:
Most commonly the tablets are disk shaped with convex
surfaces but they are also available in special shapes like
round, oval, oblong, cylindrical, square, triangular etc.

 Weight of tablets:
The tablets for oral administration may weigh from 0.2 to
0.8 gm, but the tablets meant for administration other
than oral route may be lighter or heavier.
 ADVANTAGES
 Production aspects
1. Large scale production at lowest cost
2. Easiest and cheapest to package and ship
3. High stability (chemical, mechanical & biological)
4. Lightest and most compact

 Formulation aspects
1. Greatest dose precision with least content variability
2. Lend to give special release profile products e.g. enteric or delayed release
tablets
3. Product identification is cheap – embossing or monogrammed punch face

 Patient aspects
1. Ease of handling
2. Coating can mark unpleasant tastes & improve patient acceptability
 Disadvantages
• The manufacture of tablets requires a series of unit operations
and therefore there is an increased level of product loss at
each stage in the manufacturing process.

• The compression properties of certain therapeutic agents are

poor and may present problems in their subsequent formulation
and manufacture as tablets.

• The administration of tablets to certain groups, e.g. children and

the elderly may be problematic due to difficulties in swallowing.
These problems may be overcome by using effervescent tablet
dosage forms.

• Certain amorphous, hygroscopic and low density

drugs are difficult to be compressed into tablets.
 Disadvantages
 Tablets have slow onset of action when compared
to parenteral dosage forms.

 Certain features of drug doses like wettability, slow

dissolution make the drug difficult to formulate as
a tablet.

 Some drugs can effect the gastric mucosa or cause

local irritation when administered as tablets.
General properties of Tablet dosage forms:

1. A tablet should have elegant product identity while free of defects

like chips, cracks, discoloration, and contamination.

2. Should have sufficient strength to withstand mechanical shock

during its production packaging, shipping and dispensing.

3. Should have the chemical and physical stability to maintain its

physical attributes over time

4. The tablet must be able to release the medicinal agents in a

predictable and reproducible manner.

5. Must have a chemical stability over time so as not to follow

alteration of the medicinal agents.
 TYPES
OF
TABLETS
(A) Tablets ingested orally:

1. Compressed tablets. e.g. Paracetamol tablets.

2. Multiple compressed tablets.

3. Repeat action tablets.

4. Delayed release tablets.

5. Sugar coated tablets, e.g. Multivitamin tablet.

6. Film coated tablets, e.g. Metronidazole tablet.

7. Chewable tablets, e.g. Antacid tablets.

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 (B) Tablets used in oral cavity
1. Buccal tablets, e.g. Vitamin-c tablet

2. Sublingual tablets.

3. Troches or lozenges.

4. Dental cone.
(c) Tablets administered by other
route
1. Implantation tablets.

2. Vaginal tablets, e.g. Clotrimazole tablets.

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TABLET EXCIPIENTS
These are the substances added in the
manufacturing of tablet and perform
following functions:

• I M PA RT W E I G H T, AC C U R AC Y, & VO LU M E
• I M P ROV E S O LU B I L I T Y
• I N C R EA S E STA B I L I T Y
• E N H A N C E B I OAVA I L A B I L I T Y
• M O D I F Y D R U G R E L EA S E
• A S S I ST P RO D U C T I D E N T I F I C AT I O N
• I N C R EA S E PAT I E N T AC C E PTA B I L I T Y
• FAC I L I TAT E D O SAG E FO R M D ES I G N
EXCIEPIENTS
- functions
Impart weight,
accuracy, &
volume.
Facilitate
Improve
dosage form
solubility.
design.

Increase Increase
patient
acceptability. stability.

Modifying Enhance
drug bioavailability
release. .
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TABLET INGREDIENTS
• Diluents are fillers used to make
required bulk of the tablet.
1. DILUENT • Ex: Lactose, Starch, Dextrose,
Mannitol.

2.BINDER AND • Added either in dry or wet- form to

form granules or cohesive compacts.
ADHESIVE • Ex: Acacia, Starch, CMC, PVP.

• Added to facilitate breaking or

3.DISINTEGRANTS disintegration in the GIT.
• Ex: Starch, Cellulose, Clays.
• Intended to prevent adhesion of the
tablet materials to the surface of dies
4.LUBRICANTS and punches.
• Ex: Stearic acid, Magnesium stearate,
Talc, Surfactants. 16
 • Intended to promote flow of
granules or powder material by
5.Glidant reducing the friction.
• Ex: Corn Starch, Talc.

• Production of more elegant product.

6. Colouring • Ex: Brilliant blue, Indigotene,
agent Erythrosine.

• To impart flavour or odour.

7. Flavoring • Ex: Menthol, Vanilla, Liquorice, Citrus
agent fruits flavour, Anise oil, Clove oil.

8. Sweetening • To mask the bitter taste of drugs.

agent • Ex: Mannitol, Lactose, Aspartame.
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Processing
Problems
PROCESSING PROBLEMS
Various problems arise during manufacture of
tablets. They are:

Capping

Lamination

Picking

Sticking

Mottling

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 Processing Problems

1.CAPPING :
Complete or partial loss of top and bottom
crowns of a tablet from the main body is called
.
capping.

Cause: Improper/Deep concave punches.

Remedy: Better to use flat
punches.

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2.LAMINATION:
The separation of a tablet into two or more
distinct layers is called lamination.
Cause: Air entrapment , Deep concave punch.
Remedy: By pre-compression ,Reducing final
compression force ,Using flat punch ,Using
hygroscopic materials to maintain proper
moisture level.

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3.Picking :
Surface materials of the tablet stick to
the punch and get removed from the
tablet surface. This is known as
picking.

Cause:
• Because of engraving on the punch
tips like small enclosed areas in the
letters like “A”, “B”, “D”, “O”, “Q” etc

Remedy:
• Lettering should be designed as large
as possible, even the tablet size can be
increased by reformulation

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4.Sticking:
Sticking refers to the condition in which tablet
materials adhere to the die wall.
Cause: over wetting or excessive film tackiness
Remedy: Reduction in liquid application rate

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5.Mottling:
It is an unequal distribution of colors on a
tablet with light and dark areas on tablet
surface.
Cause: 1. Use of a drug whose color differs
from tablet excipients.
2. Use of a drug whose dehydration
products are colored.
Remedy: 1. The use of colorant.
2. Disperse a dry colour additive during
powder binding steps.
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