Chrominfo: Advantages and Disadvantages of Capsules

The major advantage of capsules is that its ability to act as an effective oxygen barrier and it is good chemical stability and helps increase product stability as well as is easy to swallow.

Dosage forms are pharmaceutical products that are specific combinations of drugs and excipients that can be formulated in a variety of ways, including solid, liquid, semi-solid, and gaseous dosage forms.

What is capsule dosage form?

A capsule is a form of solid dose in which the one or more active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and excipients are enclosed in a hard or soft soluble shell, generally as gelatin. The shell is usually made of gelatin or other suitable polymeric substance, and this produces a simple, odorless, tasteless, elegant, and easy-to-swallow dosage form that does not require a further coating step.

Capsules are classed as either hard gelatin or soft gelatin depending on the nature of the capsule shell. Soft-shelled capsules are used for oils and medicines that are dissolved or suspended in oil, while hard-shelled capsules are used for dry, powdered ingredients.

A capsule is a common form of dose for oral administration, let's check some advantages and disadvantages of capsules.

Advantages of Capsules:

Capsules can mask the odor and taste of unpleasant medicines and can be simply administered
Easy to swallow with water
Fewer excipients are required than tablets.
Easily and rapidly digested
It's easy to handle and take
The capsule is economical than other dosage forms
The appearances of capsules are attractive
The gelatin shell can give protection of the drug from light
The shells of capsules are physiologically inert
It digested easily and quickly in the gastrointestinal tract
Capsules have a higher bioavailability than tablet dosage forms
It is easy to formulate and does not require any compression
A high degree of flexibility to the formulation

Disadvantages of Capsules:

Medicines that absorb water from the hygroscopic capsule shell make it brittle and therefore are not appropriate for the capsule filling
Concentrated solutions requiring previous dilutions are inappropriate for the capsule since irritation of the stomach
Not appropriate for highly efflorescent substances
For storage purposes, it required special conditions
It may cause gastric irritation
Components with low density, low melting point medication cannot be dispensed.
When compared to tablets, the production speed is slower
Gelatin-reactive materials cannot be dispensed
Materials that are reactive with gelatin cannot be dispensed
It may not be suitable for high-dose of drugs
Low density, low melting point components, and high dose drugs cannot be dispensed.
The speed of production is less as compared to tablets