Film Coating Premix

Film coating premix

Tablets are among the most convenient and preferred oral dosage forms because of their many advantages, including ease of administration, high patient compliance, and cost-effectiveness. Among the multiple steps in pharmaceutical manufacturing of tablets, coating is a critical process that is often used for functional and aesthetic reasons.

Product introduction

Tablet film coating is a common but critical process providing various functionalities to tablets, thereby meeting diverse clinical needs and increasing the value of oral solid dosage forms. Tablet film coating is a technology-driven process and the evolution of coated dosage forms relies on advancements in coating technology, equipment, analytical techniques, and coating materials.

Pharmaceutical Application of Film Coating

1. Modified Drug Release

In many cases, modified drug release is beneficial for improving drug efficacy and patient compliance or prolonging the duration of action. Therefore, tablet film coating with various polymers is actively pursued to achieve modified drug release by controlling the rate and/or sites of drug release. Representative film coating approaches for modified drug release are discussed below：Delayed Drug Release and Sustained Drug Release.

2. Improved Drug Stability

The stability of APIs or drug products can be altered by external environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and light, as well as compatibility between excipients and APIs. Moisture-absorbed drug products can swell, crack, and dissolve inside the package, causing significant changes in product appearance and negatively affecting the shelf-life of the drug product. Light also can stimulate oxidation and hydrolysis of APIs. To avoid these external factors causing instability of APIs or drug products, film coating can be applied to the surface of core tablets. Hydrophobic materials such as lipids, wax, and triglycerides are often used for sub-coating or outer-coating to protect the core tablet against external environmental factors. Various water soluble and insoluble polymers, including polysaccharides, polypeptides, and vinyl polymers, are also widely used for film coating to improve drug stability.

3. Taste Masking

Unpleasant taste is a major hurdle to ensure patient compliance, particularly in pediatric and geriatric populations. Among various tastes, bitterness is the most repellent. Thus, masking bitter taste in oral dosage forms is a key parameter to improve patient compliance and therapeutic efficiency. Optimized oral dosage forms should reliably hinder the release of bitter drug molecules in the mouth. A variety of methods have been used for taste masking, such as chemical modification (prodrug approach), salt formation, interaction with ionogenic polymers (methacrylates), complexation, incorporation of flavor enhancers (e.g., sweeteners) in the formulation, and surface coating.

4. Active Film Coating

Active film coating is a process to coat a solid dosage unit (tablet or pellet) using a solution or suspension containing APIs as a coating solution. This coating technology meets formulation needs such as rapid drug release or improved product stability and is particularly useful for developing fixed-dose combination (FDC) products to control the drug release rate or physically block interaction between APIs.

Workshops

Introducing advanced Japanese technology, our production equipment and processes feature fully automated central control operations. From raw material feeding to final products, automated controls are implemented to ensure consistent product quality.

After-sales service

Our engineers offer round-the-clock online support, available 24/7, to resolve any technical issues related to tablet coating promptly. With robust research and development capabilities, we also ensure efficient ODM production.

The reasons why you will choose us