What is a Dosage form?

Pharmaceutical dosage form

can be defined as a physical form
of a drug such as a solid, liquid or
gas by which it can be
delivered in proper form to
particular sites within the body.
Classification of Dosage forms
Dosage forms can be classified according to

Route of administration Physical form

Oral Liquids
Topical Semisolids
Parenteral Solids
Rectal Gases
Vaginal
Inhalational
Opthalmic
Otic
Nasal
Classification of Liquids

Liquid dosage forms can be classified into 2

major classes i.e.

 Monophasic liquids
 Biphasic liquids
Monophasic Liquid Dosage forms
Biphasic Liquids

* Emulsions are the biphasic liquid dosage forms containing

two
immiscible liquids that are made miscible by the addition of
a surfactant.
* o/w emulsions
* w/o emulsions
 Suspensions are the biphasic liquid dosage forms of
medicaments in which the finely divided solid particles are
dispersed in a liquid vehicle.
*Oral
*Parenteral
*Topical
*Opthalmic
Semisolid Dosage forms
*Ointments
*Creams
*Pastes
*Jellies
*Suppositories
SOLID DOSAGE FORMS
*Tablets and Capsules
*Powders and Granules
*Tablets: A tablet is a solid unit dosage
containing
form medicament or medicaments
compressed to form round, oval or square
shape.
*Uncoated or coated tablets
*Buccal and Sublingual tablets
*Effervescent tablets
*Chewable tablets
*Lozenges and Pastilles
*Pills
*Sugar coated tablets
*Film coated tablets
*Enteric coated tablets

Sugar-Coated Tablets Film Coated Tablets

Enteric Coated Tablets

*Sublingual and buccal medications are administered by placing
them in the mouth, either under the tongue (sublingual) or
between the gum and the cheek(buccal).
*The medications dissolve rapidly and are absorbed through the
mucous membranes of the mouth, where they enter into the
blood stream.
*Effervescent tablets are uncoated tablets that generally
contain acid substances(citric and tartaric acids)and
carbonates or bicarbonates and which react rapidly in the
presence of water by releasing carbon di oxide.
*They are intended to be dissolved or dispersed in water
before use providing:
*Very rapid tablet dispersion and dissolution.
*Pleasant tasting carbonated drink.
*They are tablets that chewed prior to swallowing.
*They aredesigned for administration of drugs to children
e.g. vitamin products.
*Antacid formulations.
* Lozenges are solid preparations consisting of sugar
and
gum, the latter giving strength and cohesiveness to
the lozenge and facilitating slow release of the
medicament.
*It is used to medicate the mouth and throat for the slow
administration of indigestion or cough remedies.
* Pastilles are solid medicated preparations designed to
dissolve slowly in the mouth.
*They are softer than lozenges and their bases are either
glycerol and gelatin, or acacia and sugar.
*Pills are solid oral dosage forms of spherical shape prepared
from one or more medicaments incorporated with inert
excipients.
*Pills are now rarely used.
*Capsules are self contained solid oral dosage forms in which
the medicament or medicaments along with suitable
excipients is enclosed in a empty gelatin shell.
*Hard and Soft gelatin capsules
* Pharmaceutical powders are intimate mixtures of dry
finely divided drugs or chemicals intended for internal or
external use.
*The mixed powders may be stored in dry form and mixture
prepared by the pharmacist when required for dispensing,
by suspending the powders in the appropriate vehicle.
* Granules are free flowing powder aggregates consisting of
drugs and suitable excipients and often supplied in single
dose sachets.
*Some granules are placed on the tongue and swallowed with
water, others are intended to be dissolved in water before
taking.
*Effervescent granules evolve carbon di oxide when added to
water.
 GASES
* Pharmaceutically gaseous dosage forms can be defined as
any elastic aeroform fluids in which the molecules
are separated from one another and so have free paths.
* Pressurized Aerosols
*Inhalers
*A product that is packaged under pressure and contains
therapeutically active ingredients that are released upon
activation of an appropriate valve system in the form of spray,
mist, foam etc.
* These are intended for topical application to the skin as well as
local application into the nose (nasal aerosols), mouth (lingual
aerosols), or lungs (inhalation aerosols)
*A special class of dosage forms consisting of a drug or
combination of drugs, that by virtue of their high vapor
pressure can be carried by an air current into the nasal
passage where they exert their effect.
*Anti asthmatics & steroidal drugs
 PARENTERAL
S
“ Introduced other than by way of the intestine”
 PARENTERALS
Cont…
*Parenterals are defined as sterile dosage forms meant for
administration into body by means of injection, infusion or
implantation.
* Majorly through Intravenous, Intra muscular and Subcutaneously

subcutaneously

intramuscularly

intravenously
* SVP – Small Volume Parenterals
* lVP – Large Volume Parenterals
* Dosage forms like
* Powders
* Solutions
* Suspensions
* Emulsions
Sustained drug delivery system:

Controlled Release:
• Any of the dosage form that maintains the therapeutic blood or tissue levels of
drug by continuous release of medication for a prolonged period of time, after
administration of a single dose.
• Release of Drug over an extended period of time.

Prolonged release:
• which cannot maintain a constant blood level, but the blood level declines at
such a sufficiently slow rate that it remains within the therapeutic range for a
satisfactory prolonged period of time
DELAYED RELEASE:
• These are the systems that use repetitive, intermittent dosing of a drug
from one or more immediate release units incorporated into a single dosage
form or an enteric delayed release systems.
• The delay may be time-based or based on the influence of environmental
conditions such as GI, pH, enzyme, pressure, etc. E.G – Enteric coated
dosage forms like enteric coated aspirin, other NSAIDS, etc.