DOSAGE FORM

DEFINITION
A dosage form (DF) is the physical form of a dose of a chemical compound used as a drug or medication intended for administration or consumption. The finished dosage form contains the active drug ingredient in association with nondrug (usually inert) ingredients (excipients) that make up the vehicle or formulation matrix.

COMMON DOSAGE FORMS

Pill Tablet Capsule Syrup Aerosol Inhaler injection Pure powder Solid crystal

 Various dosage forms may exist for a single particular drug, since different medical conditions can warrant different routes of administration. For example, persistent nausea and emesis or vomiting may make it difficult to use an oral dosage form, and in such a case, it may be necessary to utilize an alternate route such as inhalational, buccal, sublingual, nasal, suppository, or Parenteral instead.

 Additionally, a specific dosage form may be a requirement for certain kinds of drugs, as there may be issues with various factors like chemical stability or pharmacokinetics. As an example, insulin cannot be given orally because upon being administered in this manner, it is extensively metabolized in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) before reaching the blood stream, and is thereby incapable of sufficiently reaching its therapeutic target destinations.

TYPES OF DOSAGE FORM

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Oral Inhalational Parenteral Injection Topical Suppository

1-ORAL
Pill, tablet, or capsule Specialty tablet like buccal, sublingual, or orally-disintegrating Thin film (e.g., Listerine PocketPaks antiseptic mouthwash having menthol, thymol, methyle salicylate, eucalyptol)

1-ORAL (continue)
Liquid solution or suspension (e.g., drink or syrup) Powder or liquid or solid crystals Natural or herbal plant, seed, or food of sorts (e.g., marijuana (Cannabis) (bhang or ganja)

2-INHALATIONAL
Aerosol Inhaler Vaporizer (usually to vaporize natural herbs like marijuana)

2-Inhalational (continue)
Nebulizer Smoking (often in natural herb (e.g., tobacco, marijuana) or freebase powder form (e.g., cocaine, methamphetamine)

3-PARENTERAL INJECTION
Intradermal (ID) Intramuscular (IM) Intraosseous (IR) Intraperitoneal (IP) Intravenous (IV) Subcutaneous (SC)

4-TOPICAL
Cream, gel, liniment or balm, lotion, or ointment, etc Ear drops (optic) Eye drops (ophthalmic) Skin patch (transdermal)

5-SUPPOSITORY
Rectal (e.g., enema) Vaginal (e.g., douche, pessary, etc)

Composition of dosage form

Dosage form consist of:1. Active pharmaceutical ingredient(API) is the substance or compound in dosage form that has pharmacological activity. 2. Inactive ingredient or excipient is an inactive substance used as a carrier for the active ingredients of medication.

Types of Excipients
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Antiadherents Binders Coatings Disintegrants Fillers & Diluents Flavors Colors Guidant Lubricants Preservatives Sweeteners Sorbents etc.

Need for dosage forms

Drugs substance are merely administered alone rather they are given as a part of formulation in combination with one or more non medicinal agents that serve varied and specialized pharmaceutical functions. Selective use of these non medicinal substance produces dosage forms of various types.

Use of Pharmaceutical ingredients 1. Solubilize 2. Suspend 3. Thicken 4. Dilute 5. Emulsify 6. Stabilize 7. Preserve 8. Color 9. Flavor 10.Design

Use of Pharmaceutical ingredients

These excipients fashion the medicinal agents into 1.Efficacious 2.Appealing dosage forms. The proper design and formulation of dosage form requires consideration of the physical, chemical and biologic characteristics of all of drug substances and pharmaceutical substances.

The drug and pharmaceutical materials must be compatible with one another to produce a drug product that is:-

Stable Efficacious Attractive Easy to administer safe

The product should be manufactured with appropriate measures of quality control and packaged in containers that keep the product stable.

The product should be labeled to promote correct use and be stored under conditions that contribute to maximum shelf life.

The Need for dosage form

The potent nature and low dosage of most of the drugs in use today removes any expectation that the general public could safely obtain the appropriate dose of a drug from the bulk material. Most drug substances are administered in milligrams quantities, much too small to be weighed on anything but a sensitive prescription or electronic analytical balance.

Other aims.
To protect the drug substance from the destructive influences of atmospheric oxygen or humidity (coated tablets, sealed ampoules) To protect the drug substance from the destructive influences of gastric acid after oral administration (enteric-coated tablets) To mask the bitter, salty, or offensive taste or odor of a drug substance (capsules, coated tablets, flavored syrups) To provide liquid preparations of substances that are either insoluble or unstable in desired vehicle (suspension)

Other aims
To provide clear liquid dosage forms of substances (syrups, solutions) To provide rate controlled drug action (various controlled-release tablets, capsules, and suspension To provide optimal drug action from topical administration sites (ointments, creams, transdermal patches, and ophthalmic, ear, and nasal preparations) To provide for insertion of a drug into one of the bodys orifices (rectal or vaginal suppositories) To provide for placement of drugs directly in blood stream or body tissues (injections) To provide for optimal drug action through inhalation therapy (inhalants and inhalation aerosols)

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