TABLET COMPONENTS/ FORMULATION

A tablet contains active ingredients as well as other substances known as excipients, which
have specific functions.

Ingredients used in tablet formulation are:

1. Active Ingredient/Drug/API
a. Insoluble drug- exert local effect
b. Soluble drug- exert systemic effect
2. Excipients/Additives/Inactive Pharmaceutical ingredients/Nonactive ingredients
a. Diluents/Fillers
b. Binders/Adhesive
c. Disintegrants
d. Antifrictional agent
I. Lubricants
II. Glidants
III. Antiadherants
e. Organoleptic additives
I. Colors
II. Flavoring agent
III. Sweetener
f. Co-processed Excipients

Additives/Excipients:

A pharmaceutical excipient is defined as an inactive ingredient or any component other than

the active ingredient added intentionally to the medicinal formulation or everything in the
formulation except the active drug.

Pharmaceutical excipients are also called additives, pharmaceutical ingredients, or inactive

pharmaceutical ingredients.

Criteria for Selection of Additives/Excipients:

 No harmful or toxicological effect and listed as GRAS (generally recognized as safe).

 Good stability with no drug – excipient incompatibility and by any impurities in the
excipients.
 No interference in quality validation and analytical tests.
 Satisfaction of regulatory issues and guidelines in all countries where the product is to
be marketed.
 No instability with primary packing materials.
 Ease of accessibility, distribution, and economical cost.
 Satisfaction for environmental issues.
 Be physiologically inert.
 Be physically and chemically compatible with the active substance and the other
excipients in the formulation.
 No unacceptable microbiological burden.

DILUENTS/FILLERS

Diluents are the inert substance added to increase the bulk of the tablet.

Objectives of incorporating diluents:

 In order to produce tablets of reasonable size (i.e. minimum diameter of 3mm), it is

necessary to add an inert material known as Diluent/ Filler.
 Diluent increase the bulk in order to make the tablet a practical size for compression.
 The dose of some drugs is sufficiently high that no filler is required (e.g. aspirin and
certain antibiotics).
 Certain diluents, such as mannitol, lactose, sorbitol, sucrose and inositol, when present
in sufficient quantity, can impart properties that will help in disintegration of the tablet
in the mouth by chewing. Such tablets are commonly called chewable tablets.
 Diluents used for direct compression formulas give the powder mixture necessary
flowability and compressibility.
 To delay or control the rate of release of drug from the tablet.

Characteristics of ideal diluents:

 They must be nontoxic and acceptable to the drug-regulatory agencies in all countries
where the product is to be marketed.
 They must be commercially available in an acceptable grade in all countries where the
product is to be manufactured.
 They must be cheap compared to the active ingredients.
 They must be physiologically inert.
 They must be chemically stable alone and/or in combination with the drug(s) and/or
other tablet components.
 They must be free of any unacceptable microbiologic “load”.
 They must be color-compatible.
 They must have no negative effects on the bioavailability of the drug(s) in the product.
CLASSIFICATION OF DILUENTS:

Miscellaneous
Sugars Polysaccharides Inorganic compounds
compounds

Dextrose Calcium phosphate

Starches dihydrate
Lactose
Modified starch Calcium sulfate Bentonite
Sucrose dihydrate
e.g. Sta-RX 1500, Celutab etc. Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone
Amylose Calcium lactate (PVP)
Cellulose
trihydrate
Mannito Kaolin
l Cellulose derivatives
Calcium carbonate
Silicone derivatives
Sorbitol Microcrystalline cellulose
Magnesium carbonate
(MCC)
Inositol Magnesium oxide

CALCIUM SALTS

Example:

Dibasic calcium phosphate dihydrate (or dicalcium orthophosphate) (DCP)

Dibasic calcium sulfate dihydrate

Advantages:

 Possess very low concentration of unbound moisture.

 Low affinity for atmospheric moisture.
 Excellent diluents for water-sensitive drugs.
 Bound water of calcium sulfate is not released below 800C.
 It is superior to anhydrous diluent, which has a moderate to high moisture demand.
Disadvantages:

 Tetracycline products made with calcium phosphate diluent had less than half the
bioavailability of the standard product.
 Divalent cation (Ca++) form insoluble complexes and salts with number of amphoteric or
acidic functionality antibiotics, which generally reduces their absorption.
LACTOSE

 Most widely used diluent for tablet formulation.

 It is obtained in hydrous and anhydrous form.
 The anhydrous form picks up moisture when exposed to elevated humidity. Such tablets
should be packed in moisture proof packets or containers.
 When a wet granulation method is employed, the hydrous form of lactose should
generally be used.
 Two grades of lactoses are commercially available:
(i) 60 to 80 mesh – coarse grade

(ii) 80 to 100 mesh – regular grade

Advantages:

1. Lactose has no reaction with most of the drugs, whether in hydrous or anhydrous form.
2. Lactose formulations show good release rates
3. Their granulations are readily dried, and the tablet disintegration times of lactose tablets
are not strongly sensitive to variations in tablet hardness.
4. It is a low cost diluent.
Disadvantages:

1. Lactose reacts with amine drug (aminophylline and amphetamine) in presence of

alkaline lubricants e.g. metal stearates (e.g. magnesium stearate) and gradually
discolours (dark brown) with time due to the formation of furaldehyde. This reaction is
called Maillard reaction.

SPRAY DRIED LACTOSE

Advantages:

1. It is used for direct compression (containing drug + diluent + disintegrant + lubricant).

2. Spray dried lactose also has good flow characteristics.
3. It can usually be combined with as much as 20 to 25% of active ingredients without
losing these advantageous features.
Disadvantages:

1. If spray dried lactose is allowed to dry out and the moisture content falls below the
usual 3% level, the material loses some of its direct compressional characteristics.
2. Spray-dried lactose is especially prone to darkening in the presence of excess moisture,
amines, and other compounds owing to Maillard reactions. Hence, a neutral or acid
lubricant should be used.

STARCH

 Starch may be obtained from corn, wheat or potatoes.

 Occasionally used as a tablet diluent
 USP grade of starch is usually possesses moisture content between 11 to 14%.
 Specially dried types of starch that have a standard moisture level of 2-4% are available,
but are costly.
 Use of such starches in wet granulation is wasteful since their moisture level increase to
6-8% following moisture exposure.

DIRECTLY COMPRESSIBLE STARCHES

Sta–Rx 1500 – free flowing, directly compressible starch

– used as diluent, binder, disintegrant

Emdex and Celutab – are two hydrolyzed starches

– contains dextrose 90–92%

maltose 3–5%

– free flowing and directly compressible

– may be used in place of mannitol in chewable tablets because of

their sweetness and smooth feeling in the mouth.

DEXTROSE (D–Glucose)

 Available under the name Cerelose

 Available in two forms: as hydrates and anhydrous forms.
 Dextrose may sometimes be combined in formulation to replace some of the spray-
dried lactose, which may reduce the tendency of the resulting tablets to darken.

MANNITOL

Advantages

 Because of the negative heat of solution (cooling sensation in the mouth), its slow
solubility, and its pleasant feeling in the mouth, it is widely used in chewable tablets.
 It is relatively non-hygroscopic and can be used in vitamin formulations.
 Low calorie content and non-carcinogenic.
Disadvantages

 Costly
 Mannitol has poor flow characteristics and usually requires fairly high lubricant level.

SORBITOL
 It is an optical isomer of mannitol.
 Sometimes combined with mannitol formulations to reduce the diluent cost.
 Low caloric content & Noncariogenic.
Disadvantages: It is hygroscopic at humidities above 65%.

SUCROSE

 Some sucrose based diluents are:

Sugar tab– 90 to 93% sucrose + 7 to 10% invert sugar

Di Pac – 97% sucrose + 3% modified dextrins

Nu Tab– 95% sucrose + 4% invert sugar + small amount of corn starch + Mg-stearate

Advantages: They are all used for direct compression.

Disadvantages: All are hygroscopic when exposed to elevated humidity.

MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE (MCC)

 Trade Name: Avicel – is a directly compression material

 Two grades are available PH 101  powder
PH 102  granules

Advantages: It acts as diluent and disintegrating agents.

BINDERS

Agents used to impart cohesive qualities to the powdered material are referred to as
binders or granulators.

Objective of incorporating binders

1. They impart cohesiveness to the tablet formulation (both direct compression and wet–
granulation method) which insures the tablet remaining intact after compression.
2. They improve the free-flowing qualities by the formation of granules of desired size and
hardness.

Characteristics of binder

Method-I
 1. Binders are used in dry form in the powder and then moistened with a solvent (of
the binder) to form wet lumps.
2. By this Method, the binder is not as effective in reaching and wetting each of the
particles within the mass of the powder. Each of the particles in a powder blend has
a coating of adsorbed air on its surface, and it is this film of air which must be
penetrated before the powder can be wetted by the binder solution.
Method-II

Binders are often added in solution form. It requires lower concentration of binder.

Commonly Used Granulating (Binding) Agents

Granulating Agent Normal Concentration (%)

Starch Paste 5 – 25

Pregelatinized starch 0.1-0.5

Acacia 1-5

Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) 2-8

Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) 2-8

Methylcellulose (MC) 1-5

Gelatin 10-20

STARCH PASTE

Corn starch is often used in the concentration of 10–20%.

Method of preparation

Corn starch is dispersed in cold purified water to make a 5 to 10% w/w suspension and then
warming in water both with continuous stirring until a translucent paste is formed..
(Actually hydrolysis of starch takes place.)

LIQUID GLUCOSE

50% solution in water is fairly common binding agent.

SUCROSE SOLUTION

50% to 74% sugar solution is used as binder. They produce hard but brittle granules.
Their cost is low.

GELATIN SOLUTION

Concentration 10–20% aqueous solution

Should be prepared freshly and added in warm condition other wise it will become
solid.

Method of preparation

The gelatin is dispersed in cold water and allowed to stand until hydrated. The hydrated
mass is warmed in water bath to dissolve.

CELLULOSIC SOLUTIONS

HPMC (Hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose) Soluble in cold water.

Method of preparation: HPMC is dispersed in hot water, under agitation. The mixture is
cooled as quickly as possible and as low as possible

HEC (Hydroxy ethyl cellulose), HPC (Hydroxy propyl cellulose) are other successful binders.

PVP (Polyvinylpyrollidone) Used as an aqueous or alcoholic solution. Concentration 2%

and may vary.

LUBRICANTS

Objectives:

1. Prevents adhesion of the tablet material to the surface of dies and punches.
2. Reduce inter-particular friction; improve the rate of flow of tablet granulation.
3. Facilitate ejection of the tablets from the die cavity.

Examples:

Talc, magnesium stearate, calcium stearate, stearic acid, hydrogenated vegetable oils and
polyethylene glycols (PEG).
Method of addition of lubricants:

1. The lubricant is divided finely by passing it through a 60 to 100 mesh nylon cloth on to
the granulation. In production this is called ‘bolting the lubricant’.
2. After addition the granulation is tumbled or mixed gently to distribute the lubricant
without coating all the particles too well.
* Complete coating will produce dissolution problem.

* Prolonged mixing will produce excessive fines by breaking the granules.

Soluble lubricants

Examples: Sodium benzoate – includes a mixture of sodium benzoate and sodium

acetate

Sodium chloride, leucine and carbowax 4000.

Magnesium stearate

Though it is a widely used lubricant it retards disintegration and dissolution. To

overcome this sometime surfactants like sodium lauryl sulfate are included.

Lubricants are included to reduce the friction during tablet ejection between the walls of
the tablet and the wall of the die in which the tablet was formed.

Antiadherents are used for the purpose of reducing the sticking or adhesion of any of the
tablet ingredients or powder to the faces of the punches or to the die wall.

Glidants are intended to promote flow of the tablet granulation or powder materials by
reducing the friction between the particles.

An ingredient used for lubrication purpose may possess other two properties as well.

Relative properties of some tablet lubricants:

Material Usual Glidant Antiadherent Lubricant

properties properties properties
Percent
1. Calcium or
1 or less Poor Good Excellent
Magnesium stearate
1–5 Good Excellent Poor
2. Talc
1–5 None Poor Good
3. Stearic acid
3–5 None Poor Excellent
4. High melting waxes
5 – 10 Excellent Excellent Poor
5. Corn starch

Water soluble lubricants

Lubricant Percentage

Boric acid 1

Sodium chloride 5

Sodium benzoate 5

Sodium acetate 5

Sodium oleate 5

PEG 4000, 600 1–4

dl-leucine 1–5

Water Insoluble lubricants

Lubricant Percentage

Stearates (Mg, Ca & Na) 0.25-2

Stearic acid 0.25-2

Sterotex 0.25-2

Talc 1-5

Wax 1-5
 Sterowet 1-5

Antiadherent

Materials Usual range (%)

Talc 1-5

Corn starch 3-10

Cab-O-Sil 0.1-0.5

Syloid 0.1-0.5

DL-leucine 3-10

Sodium Lauryl sulphate <1

Metallic stearates <1

Glidant

Materials Usual range (%)

Talc 5

Corn starch 5-10

Cab-O-Sil 0.1-0.5

Syloid 0.1-0.5

Aerosil 1-3

DISINTEGRANTS

Purpose of a disintegrant is to facilitate the breakup of a tablet after administration in the

GIT.

Disintegrating agent may be added:-

 Prior to granulation
  During the lubrication step prior to compression.
 At both processing steps
Disintegrants can be classified chemically as Starches, clays, celluloses, alginates, gums and
cross-linked polymers.

Starch

Corn starch, potato starch

For their disintegrating effect starches are added to the powder blends in dry state.

Mode of action:

Starch has a great affinity for water and swells when moistened, thus facilitating the
rupture of the tablet matrix.

Others have suggested that the spherical shape of the starch grains increases the
porosity of the tablet, thus promoting capillary action.

Normally 5% w/w is suggested. For rapid disintegration 10 – 15% w/w may be taken.

Starch Disintegrants

Materials Range (%)

Natural starch (Corn, Potato) 1-20

Sodium starch Glycolate 1-20

Pregelatinized starch 5-10

Modified corn starch 3-8

Super disintegrants

Crosscarmelose - cross linked cellulose

Crospovidone - cross linked polyvinyl pyrrolidone

Sodium starch glycolate - cross linked starch

Mode of action

Croscarmelose swells 4 to 8 fold in less than 10 seconds

Crospovidone acts by wicking or capillary action.

Sodium starch glycolate swells 7 to 12 folds in less than 30 seconds.

Other materials

VeegumHV, Methyl cellulose, Agar, Bentonite, Cellulose, Alginic acid,

Guargum and Carboxymethyl cellulose.

* Sodium lauryl sulfate is a surfactant. It increases the rate of wetting of the tablet,
thus decreases the disintegrating time.

COLOURING AGENT

Objectives of using colors

i. Agent impart colour to the tablets

ii. It makes the tablet more esthetic in appearance.
iii. Colour helps the manufacturer to identify the product during its preparation.
All colorants used in pharmaceuticals must be approved and certified by the FDA (food &
Drug Administration). Dyes are generally listed as FD&C (food, Drug & Cosmetic Dyes) dyes
and D&C (Drug & Cosmetic Dyes).

Colour Other Names Color Index (CI, 1971)

D&C Red 22 Eosin Y 45380

FD&C Yellow 5 Tartrazine 15985

FD&C Yellow 6 Sunset Yellow FCF 19140

Yellow Orange 5

FD&C Blue 1 Brilliant Blue FCF 42090

FD&C Blue 2 Indigocarmine 73015

FD&C Green 3 Fast Green FCF 42035

Caramel Burnt sugar

Titanium – 77891
dioxide

Colorants are obtained in two forms dyes and lakes.

 Dyes are dissolved in the binding solution prior to the granulating process. However,
during drying their color may migrate to the surface and may produce mottling of the
tablet.
 So another approach is to adsorb the dye on starch or calcium sulfate from its aqueous
solution; the resultant powder is dried and blended with other ingredients.
 Color lakes are dyes which are adsorbed onto a hydrous oxide of a heavy metal (like
aluminium) resulting in an insoluble form of the dye.

FLAVOURS AND SWEETENERS

Flavours are usually limited to chewable & effervescent tablets or other tablets intended to
dissolve in the mouth.

Improve acceptability among pediatric and geriatrics.

Flavor oils are added to tablet granulations in solvents, are dispersed on clays and other
adsorbents or are emulsified in aqueous granulating agents (i.e. binder).

Should be used only in the concentration range of 0.5 to 0.75% w/v.

e.g. Citrus oil, Cardamom tincture etc

Sweeteners: - Mainly used in chewable, effervescent & mouth dissolving tablets for
improvement of taste.

e.g. Sugar

Mannitol – 72% as sweet as sugar, cooling & mouth filling effect

Saccharin – Artificial sweetener

500 times sweeter than sucrose

Disadvantages (i) it has a bitter after taste

(ii) carcinogenic

Cyclamate – either alone or with saccharin

– it is banned

Aspartame (Searle) – widely replacing saccharin & approved by FDA.

– Disadvantage – lack of stability in presence of moisture &

discoloration in presence of ascorbic acid & tartaric acid.

Co-processed Excipients
 These are the mixture of one or more excipients used in combination to improve their
characteristics.
 Reduces the number of excipients in a formulation.
 Reduces the overall cost and time for processing.

Co-processed excipients Brand Name

Cellulose and Lactose Cellactose

Lactose and MCC Microcelac 100

Lactose and Maize starch Starlac

Lactose and PVP Ludipress

MCC and Sodium CMC Avicel CL-611