What are the advantages of capsules compared to other reagents?
In the face of the diverse range of medicinal excipients available in the market, capsules remain one of the products favored by consumers.Why are capsules so popular?
The first reason is Many formulation experts appreciate the flexibility of capsules because the capsules themselves can be filled with various types of contents such as powders, liquids, semi-solids, and tablets. Another important reason is that capsules can dissolve quickly, reliably and safely. However, the greatest advantage of capsules lies in the fact that they do not require additional excipients and do not undergo high-temperature and pressure processes, thus not damaging the original chemical properties and efficacy of the formulation. This means that in the process of selecting, testing and optimizing the formulation, a lot of research and development procedures, quality assurance and regulatory research time can be saved.
Another reason is the R&D and production staff of pharmaceutical factories and health food companies often have differences of opinion on which form is better - capsules or tablets. The answer to this question can be simply stated: Some drugs are naturally suitable for capsules, while others are better suited for tablets. This entirely depends on the chemical and synthetic properties of the compound. However, most vitamin products are made into tablets with a coating, mainly to make the product more stable and less prone to deterioration. Capsules are preferred because of their lower processing cost and easier swallowing. Generally, herbal and phytochemical concentrates are often in capsule form.
The considerations for using pills and health supplements are different. For pharmaceutical companies, they must take into account the absorption of the drug and its impact on disease improvement. Therefore, they will strictly test the hardness and disintegration degree of the pills to ensure that the drug can fully exert its effect in controlling the disease. However, most health supplements made into pills only consider the hardness of the product, but often lack the quality control procedure of disintegration tests. As a result, many pill-shaped health supplements may not fully disintegrate in the stomach for two to three hours after being swallowed. A few products, due to the addition of excessive adhesives, may be excreted through feces before they can be absorbed.
Animal-based gelatin will completely soften in a water-containing environment at a body temperature of 36-37 degrees Celsius within approximately a few minutes. Within ten minutes, it will dissolve in the liquid, causing the powder inside the capsule shell to be rapidly released and take effect. Moreover, the capsule form is protected by the gel shell, so the storage conditions are similar to those of the film-coated tablets. However, the dissolution and absorption rate is similar to that of the powdered product, while there is no burden of flavor additives like those in powdered products. Under the same composition and dosage conditions, it is the best form.
