Film coating
thin polymer-based coat applied to a solid dosage form such as a tablet
A film coating is a thin polymer-based coat that is typically sprayed onto solid pharmaceutical dosage forms, such as tablets, capsules, pellets or granules. Film coating can impact both its appearance and its pharmacokinetics making it an essential process in making the final drug product.
Film coatings are the most common form of drug coating and are generally applied in orally-administered pharmaceuticals. The motivation for applying film coatings to dosage forms range from cosmetic considerations (colour, gloss and branding), improving the shelf life by providing a protective barrier between the drug and the surrounding environment. These types of film coatings are known as non-functional film coatings. They may also be used to delay or augment the delivery and uptake of medications or delay release and uptake until the medication passes through the stomach. These types of film coatings are known as functional film coatings.
Process
The conventional method of applying film coatings to oral dosage forms comprises a spraying phase and a drying phase. The spraying phase consists of applying a layer of a polymer, plasticizer, colourant, opacifier, solvent, and a vehicle to the oral dosage form's core. Once applied, the oral dosage form is dried by passing hot air over the dosage form, which typically also removes the solvent as well.
“Film coating” enters the record as thin polymer-based coat applied to a solid dosage form such as a tablet. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Film, coating and thin can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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This entry incorporates text from “Film coating” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.