Advantage And Disadvantage Of Pharmaceutical Tablet

The pharmaceutical tablet is the most commonly prescribed solid dosage form. They can be ingested or inserted into body orifice. They consist of flat, round or curved solid forms with different shapes and sizes. They are made by compression or moulding of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) together with or without excipient. Excipients include binders, disintegrants, flavours, etc.

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Advantages Of Pharmaceutical Tablet

1. Large scale production at lowest cost

2. Easiest and cheapest to package and ship

3. Greatest chemical and microbial stability over all oral dosage forms

4. Easy to handling

5. Lightest and most compact

6. Greatest dose precision & least content variability

7. Coating can mark unpleasant tastes & improve patient acceptability

8. Easy to self administer

9. Two or more physically and chemically incompatible active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) can be formulated together

Pharmaceutical tablet

Disadvantages Pharmaceutical Tablet

1. Some drugs resist compression into dense compacts

2. Drugs with poor wetting, slow dissolution, intermediate to large doses may be difficult or impossible to formulate and manufacture as a tablet that provides adequate or full drug bioavailability

3. Bitter taste drugs, drugs with an objectionable odor, or sensitive to oxygen or moisture may require encapsulation or entrapment prior to compression or the tablets may require coating

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4. Start-up is expensive as the machines are expensive

5. Patients with vomiting and diarrhoea cannot take it or absorb it

6. Tablets are not suitable for children or old man because their digestive system is not strong enough

7. Cannot be given to unconscious patient

8. Onset of action is low