Solid oral dosage form Orally disintegrating tablets

Excipients are sub-divided into various functional classifications, depending on the role that they are intended to play in the resultant formulation, for example, fillers, disintegrants, binders, lubricants and glidants. An added complexity is the fact that certain excipients can have different functional roles in different formulation types. Thus, lactose is widely used as a filler or diluent in solid oral dosage forms, for example, tablets and capsules [2] and as a carrier for inhalation products [3]. 

Disintegration into fine particles is the first process that occurs when a drug is administered as a solid oral dosage form. The effectiveness of a tablet or solid dosage form in releasing the drug depends on the rate of disintegration. Dissolution rate is the rate at which the solid fine particles dissolve in a solvent. 

Lubrication is an important unit operation in manufacturing solid oral dosage forms, particularly when using a direct compression platform. Pharmaceutical lubricants can have a significant impact on product performance (e.g., disintegration and dissolution) as well as manufacturability. Lubrication is one of the most critical aspects of a tablet formulation. A lubricant is intended to reduce the friction between the tablet surface and die wall during and after compaction to enable easy ejection of the tablet. In low-dose dmg product development, three issues are associated with lubricating a direct compression formulation ... 

Low-substituted hydroxypropyl cellulose is widely used in oral solid-dosage forms. It is primarily used in tableting as a disintegrant, and as a binder in wet granulation. It has been used in the preparation of rapidly disintegrating tablets produced by direct compression methods. In addition, low-substituted hydroxypropyl cellulose has been used to delay the release of drug from a tablet matrix. ... 

In order for absorption to occur, a drug or a therapeutic agent must be present in solution form. This means that drugs administered orally in solid dosage forms (tablet, capsule, etc.) or as a suspension (in which disintegration but not dissolution has occurred) must dissolve in the gastrointestinal (GI) fluids before absorption can occur (Fig. 8.1). 

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