Question

Please choose one capsule, gelatin coated, Timed-released or extended-release medication. Please give the name, purpose of medication and pros and cons of the medication. Why is it important that your medication be time released?  

Answer 1

The oral route of drug delivery is the most popular, desirable, and preffered method of administrating Therapeutic agents for systemic effects because it is natural convenient for the Patient and cost effective to manufacturing process,

Therapeutic systems offer important advantages traditional dosage forms in diseases requiring the most constant possible effective blood levels over prolonged durations of therapy,

A Therapeutic sysytem is a drug containg dosage form that releases the drug continuously in a predetermined pattern for a fixed period of time.

In the Pharmaceutical industry to improves the compliances, Time release technology introduced, Time release technology also known as " Sustained Release (SR), Sustained Action (SA), Extended Release ( ER,XR,XL), Time release or timed rekease, Controlled release ( CR), Modified Release (MR) or Continuous Release (CR or Conti) techniques. This mechanism used in pill tablet or capsules to dissolve soluble and release a drug over time.

Pros and cons : the timed released formulation technology capsules or tablets often taken less frequently than instant release formulations of same drug,

- they keep steadier levels of the drug in the blood stream,

- slow the release of drug so that medicine does not taken often and improves complaince,

- most Time release drugs are formulated so that the active ingredient is embedded in a matrix of insoluble substances ( acrylics), such that the dissolving drug must find its way out through the holes in the matrix,

- some drugs are enclosed polymer based tablets with a laser drilled holes one side and a porous membrane on the other side ex: Stomach acids,

- In some SR formulations the drug disolves in to the matrix and the matrix physically swells to form.a gel, allows the drug to exist through the gel's outer surface.

- active compound in the drug has a long Half life ( over 6 hrs),

- Pharmacological activity of active compound is not related to it's blood levels, time related,

- if the absorption of the active compound involves an active transport, the development of a time release product may be problematic.

Examples of Gelatin coated Capsules : The gelatin preparation medications are used in nutritional supplements, heart health and immunboosters etc,

Like : Vitamin D3 ( cholecalciferol), Multivitamins, and Nitroglycerin timed released capsules for chest angina.

Nitroglycerin is used before physical activities ( such as excercise, sexual activity) to prevent chest pain in people with a certain heart conditions like Coronary artery disease),

- belongs to class as nitrates,

- the timed release capsules are useful in Angina occurs when the heart muscle is not getting enough blood,

Side effects : Headache, Dizziness, nausea.

In some conditions, the Therapeutic level of drugs required in blood stream with particular timings, this timed release technology provides the available time pattern patient get benefited.