You have the perfect drug and the right packaging to protect it. All is well until the medication reaches the patient, who habitually pops the tablets into another container for easy storage or leaves them exposed to the atmosphere. Film coatings are more than just a pretty face.

By Charlotte Miller

Film coating is a well-established technique in the pharma industry for solid oral dosage forms, like tablets and multiparticulates, but its usage varies. Most tablet manufacturers choose to film coat every product, whereas others will only apply a coating if they feel that it is essential. The most popular reason for applying a film coating is to enhance and protect the dosage form, provide branding or modify the drug release profile. For example, enteric coatings can be used to protect a tablet from dissolution in the stomach, or extended release coatings can (as the name suggests) provide drug release over an extended period of time.

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