The document discusses drug dosage forms, which are the various ways that pharmaceutical products are administered to patients. Some key points made: - Dosage forms provide accurate dosing of drugs and allow for administration through different routes. Common forms include tablets, capsules, injections, etc. - Formulations specify the name, strength and dosage form of the drug product. Excipients are inactive ingredients that don't affect the drug's therapeutic action. - The dosage form determines how drug molecules are delivered to sites of action in the body. It must provide protection, accurate dosing, and optimize drug effects.

1. Drug Dosage Forms
Dr. Vikram Sharma, MD
Senior Resident
Department of Pharmacology
ESIC Medical College & Hospital
Faridabad

2.  Dosage form:
o Product suited for administration to patient by various routes for
diagnosis or treatment
o They provide accurate dosage of drugs for treatment of disease
o Eg: Tablet, Capsule etc
 Formulations:
o Consist of name of drug, strength & its dosage form.
o Eg: PCM 500 mg as tablet; Amphotericin B 50mg/vial injection;
Baclofen 5mg/5ml syrup
o Essential Drug List includes formulations
Srivastava SK, Srivastava Rohan. Manual of practical pharmacology for MBBS, First Edition 2021.

3.  Dosage form
 Means (or the form) by which drug molecules are delivered to sites of
action within the body.
 Drug (Active pharmaceutical ingredients )
 Chemical compound intended for used in diagnosis, treatment
prevention, of disease.
 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) is the part of any drug that
produces its therapeutic effect.
 Excipients
 Don’t increase or affect the therapeutic action of the active ingredient
 Inactive ingredients may also be referred to as inert ingredients or
excipients, and generally have no pharmacological effect.
 Examples of inactive ingredients include binding materials, dyes,
preservatives, & flavoring agents,sweetening agents,coloring agents etc.

4. •Dosage form= Drug (API) + Excipients
•Formulation = Dosage form (Drug + Excipients) + Drug
strength
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8512302/

5.  API handling andAccurate dosing can be difficult or
impossible (e.g., potent drugs: low mg and µg doses).
 API administration can be impractical/unfeasible because of
size, shape, smell/odour, taste and low activity.
 SomeAPI are chemically unstable in light, moisture, O2
 API can be degraded at the site of administration (e.g., low pH
in stomach).
 API may cause local irritations or injury when they are present
at high concentrations at the site of administration.
 Administration of active substance would mean to have no
chance for modification (improvement) of its PK profile.

6.  Accurate dosing
 Acceptability & Compliance
 Physical & Chemical Protection e.g. coated
tablets protects from gastric juice
 Masking unpleasant taste & odour
 Placement of drugs into body cavities e.g,
rectal, vaginal
 Controlled & Sustained release medication
 Optimal drug action; therapeutically effective
 Vehicle for insoluble drugs
 Protection against microbial contamination

7.  Non-toxic
 Low cost
 Pharmacologically inert (e.g. no effect on bioavailability; no
drug interactions)
 Physically & Chemically Stable
 Sterile

9. Solid dosage
forms Liquid dosage
forms
Semi solid dosage
forms
Unit dosage
forms
Tablets
Capsule
Bulk
Powders
Pills
Internal
Fine
powders &
granules
External
Dusting powders
Insufflations
Dentifrice
Snuffs
Ear powders
Biphasic Monophasic
Emulsion
Suspension
Internal External
Ointment
Creams
pastes
Jellies
Suppositories
Pessaries
Liniments
Lotions
Gargles
Throat paints
Mouth washes
Sprays
Eye lotions
Eye drops
Nasal drops
External
Internal
Syrups
Elixirs
Linctus
Drops

11. • Hard, compressed medication in round, oval or square
shape.
.

12.  Vary in size, shape, color, hardness, thickness, weight,
disintegration, dissolution characteristics.

14. Coating may be applied to:
1 - mask unpleasant taste of the tablet's
components.
2 - make the tablet smoother & easier to
swallow .
3 - make it resistant acidic pH of stomach
4 - extending its shelf life.

15.  Cellulose acid phthalate
 Shellac
 Keratin

17. • Administered by placing them in the mouth, either under the
tongue (sublingual) or between the gum & cheek (buccal)
• Dissolve rapidly & are absorbed mucous membranes of
mouth, where they enter into the bloodstream.
• Avoid acidic & enzymatic environment of stomach & drug
metabolizing enzymes of liver (Avoid first pass effect)
e.g. Nitrates

20. • Uncoated tablets that generally contain acid
substances (citric & tartaric acids) and carbonates or
bicarbonates which react rapidly in the presence of
water releasing carbon dioxide.
• Intended to be dissolved or dispersed in water before
use providing -
A - Very rapid tablet dispersion & dissolution
B - Pleasant tasting carbonated drink
C - Rapid absorption & effect

23.  Uncoated or film coated tablets dispersed in liquid before
administration.
 Usually disintegrates within minutes in water.
 Adv:
 Faster action
 Children (0-6 years)
 Can be dispersed in breast milk
 Dysphagia
 Ex: Tramadol, Aspirin, Nimesulide

24. • Chewed prior to swallowing.
• Designed for administration to children
e.g. Vitamin C tablets

25.  Indented lines usually dividing into two or four equal parts
 Helps in dosing

26. • Hardened base of sugar & water giving strength &
cohesiveness to the lozenge thus facilitating slow
release of the medicament.
• Dextromethorphan lozenges for dry cough,
Antiseptics for throat

27. • designed to dissolve slowly in the mouth
• softer than lozenges & their bases are either glycerol
and gelatin, or acacia and sugar
.

28.  Intended to be placed in the empty socket following a tooth
extraction, for preventing the local multiplication of pathogenic
bacteria associated with tooth extractions.

29.  one or more medicaments,
excipients all are enclosed within a
shell (outer coating).
 Coatings:
o Non-vegetarian - Gelatin (more
commonly)
o Vegetarian - hydroxypropyl
methylcellulose (HPMC) &
starch
 Types –
 Hard gelatin
 Soft gelatin

30.  Advantage:
 Easier swallowing than tablets
 More acceptibility by children
 Hard gelatin capsules are useful for children having difficulty in
swallowing, can be broken & sprinkled over food, milk or water.
 Examples: Soluble Vitamins A & E

32.  Contains numerous coated pellets that release drug
successively over a period of time.
 E.g.- Omeprazole

33. - solid, dry aggregates of
supplied in single-dose
They are consisting of
powder particles often
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 dioxide when
added to water.

34. - Plasters are solid or semisolid masses adhere to the
skin when spread upon cotton felt line or muslin as a
backing material and they are mainly used to,
A- Afford protection and mechanical support.
B- Furnish an occlusive and macerating action.
C- Bring medication into close contact with the surface
of the skin.

35. Suppository
It is a small solid medicated mass, usually
cone-shaped ,that is inserted either into the
rectum (rectal suppository), vagina (vaginal
suppository or pessaries) where it melts at
body temperature .

36. Pessary
-
Pessaries are solid medicated preparations designed for
insertion into the vagina where they melt or dissolve.
There are three types:
A. Moulded pessaries: they are cone shaped and prepared in a
similar way to moulded suppositories.
B. Compressed pessaries: made in a variety of shapes and are
prepared by compression in a similar manner to oral tablets.
C. Vaginal capsules: are similar to soft gelatin oral
capsules differing only in size and shape

37. There are two kinds of powder intended for internal use.
1. Bulk Powders are multidose preparations consisting of solid,
loose, dry particles of varying degrees of fineness. They
contain one or more active ingredients, with or without
excipients and, if necessary, coloring matter and flavoring
substances.
- usually contain non-potent medicaments such as antacids since
the patient measures a dose by volume using a 5ml medicine
spoon. The powder is then usually dispersed in water or, in the
case of effervescent powders, dissolved before taking.
2. Divided Powders are single-dose presentations of powder ( for
example, a small sachet) that are intended to be issued to the
patient as such, to be taken in or with water e.g. Packets,
Cachets, powders for injection

38.  Meant for external application to the skin & are generally
in a very fine state of subdivision to avoid local irritation.
 Mainly used for their antiseptic, astringent,
absorbent, antiperspirant and antipruritic action.

39.  Medicated dusting powders meant for
introduction into body cavities (nose,
throat, ear, vagina etc) with the help of
an apparatus known as a insufflator.
 It sprays the powders (in a state of fine
particles) on site of application.

40.  Longer Shelf Life
 Self Administer
 Accurate dosing
 Easy to package & distribute

41. oDifficulty swallowing – children, dysphagia
oUnconcious patients
oSlower absorption & effect

43. -
-
 semi-solid emulsions, that is mixtures of oil and water
 divided into two types:
A. oil-in-water (O/W) creams:
o which are composed of small droplets of oil dispersed in a continuous
aqueous phase.
o more comfortable & cosmetically acceptable as they are less greasy
and more easily washed off using water.
B. water-in-oil (W/O) creams:
o which are composed of small droplets of water dispersed in a
continuous oily phase.
o more difficult to handle but many drugs which are incorporated into
creams are hydrophobic, will be released more readily from a water-in-
oil cream than an oil-in-water cream.
o more moisturising as they provide an oily barrier which reduces water
loss from the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the skin.

44.  Semisolid system in which a liquid phase is constrained within
a 3-D polymeric matrix (consisting of natural or synthetic gum)
having a high degree of physical or chemical cross-linking.
 Drug particles are suspended in thickened water medium.
 Medication, lubrication and some miscellaneous
applications like carrier for spermicidal agents to be used intra
vaginally .
 E.g. Diclofenac gel, Clindamycin gel

45. Ointment
-Ointments are semi-solid, greasy preparations for application to the
skin, rectum or nasal mucosa.
- base is usually anhydrous and immiscible with skin secretions.
-Ointments may be used as emollients or to apply suspended or
dissolved medicaments to the skin.
-E.g. Ciprofloxacin ointment

46. Pastes
- Basically ointments into which a high percentage of insoluble solid has been
added or finely powdred medicaments
- extraordinary amount of particulate matter stiffens the system.
- Pastes are less penetrating, less macerating and less heating than
ointment.
-Pastes make particularly good protective barrier when placed on the skin, the
solid they contain can absorb and thereby neutralize certain noxious
chemicals before they ever reach the skin.
- Like ointments, paste forms an unbroken relatively water – impermeable film
unlike ointments the film is opaque and therefore can be used as an effective
sun block accordingly.
- Pastes are less greasy because of the absorption of the fluid hydrocarbon
fraction to the particulates.

47. application to the skin or
Paints
Paints areliquids for
mucous membranes.
-
Skin paints contain volatile solvent that evaporates
quickly to leave a dry resinous film of medicament.
Throat paints are more viscous due to a high content of
glycerol, designed to prolong contact of the
medicament with the affected site.