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How are medicines made into tablets, ointments, solutions, and other dosage forms?

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Medicines are formulated into various dosage forms to ensure stability, patient acceptance, and effective drug delivery.

Tablets and Capsules

Tablets are the most common dosage form, created by compressing powdered drugs with inert excipients in a tablet press. Excipients facilitate manufacturing, binding, and dissolution. Tablets may be coated to improve appearance, mask taste, or provide enteric coating to protect the drug from stomach acid. Capsules consist of hard or soft gelatin shells filled with powders, granules, pellets, or liquids to mask unpleasant tastes.123

Liquid Dosage Forms

Liquid forms include solutions and suspensions, which often incorporate flavors, sweeteners, and preservatives. When drugs are insoluble, they are dispersed as suspensions or emulsions, the latter requiring emulsifying agents to prevent separation.4

Modified-Release Forms

Modified-release forms, such as extended-release tablets, use techniques like embedding drugs in eroding matrices, using ion exchange resins, or microencapsulating granules to control the rate of drug release into the body.2