Products
Numerous medicines are commercially available as film-coated tablets. Today, they are produced much more frequently than the classic coated tablets, which are characterized by a thicker layer with sugar. If tablets are newly registered, they are usually film-coated tablets.
Structure and properties
Film-coated tablets are tablets that are coated with a thin layer of a polymer. Excipients used in the film coating include:
- Povidone
- Polyvinyl alcohol
- Cellulose derivatives such as the hypromellose (hydroxypropylmethylcellulose).
- Copolymers of methacrylic acid such as methacrylic acid-ethyl acrylate copolymer dispersion for enteric coated dosage forms.
- Shellac
- Dyes such as titanium dioxide, iron oxides.
- Plasticizers such as macrogols (PEG), for example macrogol 6000.
- Emulsifiers such as polysorbate 80
- Sweetener
Effects
The advantage over non-coated tablets is that the smell and taste of the contained substances are masked and and they are easier to swallow. In addition, the tablets look more advantageous and the ingredients are protected from external influences. The film may also impart gastric juice resistance or allow the sustained release of the active ingredients. This is another reason why not all film-coated tablets are divisible – but divisible versions do exist.
Dosage
Film-coated tablets are generally easier to take than noncoated tablets.
