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An enteric coating is a polymer barrier applied to oral medication that prevents its dissolution or disintegration in the gastric environment. [1] This helps by either protecting drugs from the acidity of the stomach, the stomach from the detrimental effects of the drug, or to release the drug after the stomach (usually in the upper tract of the intestine). [2]
PPI exist in the forms of oral enteric coated tablets or enteric granules capped within capsules. To ensure the effectiveness of the medication, patients should swallow the whole tablet. [ 62 ] They should not chew or cut the tablets, nor open the capsule and grind the granules. [ 62 ]
Most oral PPI preparations are enteric-coated, due to the rapid degradation of the drugs in the acidic conditions of the stomach. For example omeprazole is unstable in acid with a half-life of 2 min at pH 1–3, but is significantly more stable at pH 7 (half-life ca. 20 h).
Buccal tablets offer many advantages over other solid dosage forms also intended for oral administration (e.g. enteric-coated tablets, chewable tablets, and capsules). Buccal tablets can be considered in patients who experience difficulty in swallowing, since these tablets are absorbed into the blood stream between the gum and cheek.
Enteric coatings are also used for medicines that can be negatively affected by taking a long time to reach the small intestine, where they are absorbed. Coatings are often chosen to control the rate of dissolution of the drug in the gastrointestinal tract. Some drugs are absorbed better in certain parts of the digestive system.
Antacids would increase the pH environment in the stomach and cause premature release of enteric coated drugs, which are designed to be protected from an acidic environment in stomach. [21] For example, proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) are enteric coated to protect them from decomposition under an acidic environment. [22]
Coatings may also be used to control where dissolution takes place. For example, enteric coatings only dissolve in the basic environment of the intestines. Drugs held in solution do not need to be dissolved before being absorbed. Lipid-soluble drugs are absorbed more rapidly than water-soluble drugs. [9]
A film coating is a thin polymer-based coat that is typically sprayed onto solid pharmaceutical dosage forms, such as tablets, capsules, pellets or granules.Film coating can impact both its appearance and its pharmacokinetics making it an essential process in making the final drug product.