Dispensing of Pharmacy”

“Suspension and Extemporaneous Mixture of

Suspension”
By: Muhammad Jawad
Abasyn University, Peshawar
Discussion Outline
• Suspension
• Qualities of good suspension
• Advantages/ Disadvantages
• Classification
• Application in pharmacy
• Preparation of suspension.
• Extemporaneous mixture of suspension
 Suspension

• Course dispersion containing finally divided insoluble

material in liquid medium or available as dry powder
to be distributed in liquid medium when desired

• The particle size range in suspension is from 0.5 to

50mm.
Qualities of good suspension

• The dispersion of particles must be uniform.

• The settling of dispersed particle should be minimum
• The particle should not form a hard cake on sedimentation
• Viscosity should be optimum.
• It should be physically, chemically and microbiologically stable.
Suspension should be thixotropic.
Advantages

• It helps in formulation of insoluble drugs in liquid form.

• Drugs which are unstable in aqueous medium can be formulated in non-
aqueous medium
• Drug having unpleasant taste can formulated in suspension form
• Suspension is dosage form to those patient who cannot swallow tablet and
capsule.
• Suspension Prolong the action of drug.
Disadvantages

• Physical stability, sedimentation and compaction can cause problems

• It is bulky. Sufficient care must be taken during handling and transport. It is
difficult to formulate
• Uniform and accurate dose may not be achieved.
Classification of suspension

Suspension can be classified as:

1. Based Physical State:
 Suspension
 Aerosols
 Foams
2. Based on Proportion of Solid Particle:
 Dilute suspension ( to 10% w/v solid )
E.g., Cortisone acetate, Prednisolone acetate
 Concentrated suspension (50% w/v solid)
 Cont.…

3. Based on behavior of dispersed Phase:

 Flocculated Suspension (Dispersed phase may be a network of
particle)
 Deflocculated Suspension ( Dispersed phase may consist of
discrete particle).
4. General classification of Suspension:
 Oral suspension ( Example is Paracetamol suspension)
 Topical suspension ( Dispersed phase is in high concentration
often Exceeds 20% w/v. Example is calamine Lotion)
 Parenteral suspension ( Solid Content is between 0.5-5% w/v.
Example includes Procaine penicillin G suspension.
Application in Pharmacy

• They are used to supply drugs to the patient in liquid form

• Many people have difficulty to swallow solid dosage forms; consequently, a
liquid preparation has an advantages for those people
• The dose of a liquid form may be adjusted easily to meet the patient's
requirements.
• Thus, if the drug is insoluble or poorly soluble a suspension may be the
suitable dosage form.
• Drug such as antibiotic that are unstable in the presence of an aqueous vehicle
for extended periods of time are most frequently supplied as dry powder
mixture for reconstitution at the of dispensing.
 Cont.…

• This type of preparation is designated in USP by the

title “ for oral suspension”.
• Suspension that do not require reconstitution at the
time of dispensing are simply designated as an “
Oral suspension”
• Generally, the taste of pharmaceutical can improve
if they are supplied in suspension form, rather than
solution: thus, chloramphenicol palmitate is used
instead of the more soluble form, chloramphenicol.
• Parenteral preparation. Ophthalmic preparation,
aerosol suspension, and medicated tropical.
Preparation of Suspension

• The preparation of suspension involves several steps:

• The first is to obtain particle of the proper size, typically in the lower
micrometer range.
• Oral preparation should not feel gritty.
• Topical preparation should feel smooth to the touch, and Injectable should not
produce tissue irritation.
• Particle size and distribution should be considered in term of bioavailability.
• Very small particle, will have a higher solubility than larger particle, but also
have a faster rate of dissolution.
• Thus, particle size of the dispersed solid in a suspension can influence the rate
of sedimentation , flocculation, solubility, dissolution rate, and ultimately,
bioavailability.
Cont.….

• Particle size reduction is generally accomplished by dry milling prior to the

incorporation of the dispersed phase into the dispersion medium.
• Milling is the mechanical process of reducing the particle size which may
be accomplished by several different types of machine. Such as Hammer
mills, Jett mill, ball mills.
• On small scale, mortar and pestle are used for grinding and reducing
particle size.
• After reducing particle size, the drug powder is wetted thoroughly with a
small quantity of water miscible solvent, such as glycerin or alcohol, which
reduce the interfacial tension.
Cont.…

• The suspending agent in the aqueous medium is then added.

• Alternately, the suspending agent can be triturated with the drug particle using a
small quantity of glycerin or alcohol and then brought up to volume with the
water and triturated to a smooth uniform product.
• On large scale, the fine drug particle are treated with a small portion of water
that contain the wetting agent allowed to stand for several hours to release
entrapped air.
• At the same time, the suspending agent should be dissolved or dispersed in the
main portion of the external phase and allowed to stand until complete hydration
takes place.
Cont.…

• Consequently, wetted drug particle should be added slowly to the main

portion of the dissolved suspending agent.
• Other excipients such as electrolytes or buffer should be carefully
introduced. The preservative, flavoring agents, and coloring agent are added
last.
• Finally, the formulation is processed with homogenizers, or colloid mills to
produced a uniform product.
Extemporaneous Mixture of Suspension

• Tri Sulfa Pyrimidine Oral suspension

• Formula:
• Veegum …………………..1 gm
• Syrup USP ……………….90.60 gm
• Sod. Citrate …………….. 0.78 gm
• Sulfa Diazine………….... 2.54 gm
• Sulfa Merazine……………2.54 gm
• Sulfa Methazine………… 2.54 gm
 Preparation

• Add Veegum slowly with continuous stirring to the syrup

• Incorporated sod. Citrate into the Veegum-syrup mixture
• Premix the sulfa drug and to the syrup with stirring
• Add sufficient 5 % citrate Acid to adjust the pH of the product to 5.6
• A preservative and flavoring agent may be added to the product.
• 5 ml B.I.D
• Label
• Shake well before use
• Uses
• It is used as antibiotic agent
Thank You