Lab 5 Capsule.

capsule
Fatima M.H Waiss

Capsules are gelatin shells filled with the
ingredients that make up an individual
dose. Dry powders, semi-solids, and
liquids that do not dissolve gelatin may
be encapsulated. Capsules account for
about 20% of all prescriptions
dispensed.
Capsules have several advantages as pharmaceutical
:dosage forms
 They may be used to mask the unpleasant tastes, aromas, or

appearance of a drug.
 They allow powders to be dispensed in an uncompressed
form, thus allowing for quicker dissolution and absorption of
the drug following oral dosing (as compared with tablets).
 They offer the pharmacist versitility to prepare any dose
desired for a variety of administration routes (e.g. oral,
inhalation, rectal, or to be diluted for vaginal, rectal, oral or
topical use).
 They may be easier than tablets for some people to swallow.
 They can be make to alter the release rate of the drug.
Their disadvantages or limitations
include the following
They are easily tampered (although

techniques exist for preventing this).
They are subject to the effects of relative
humidity and to microbial contamination.
They may be difficult for some people to
swallow.
More expensive (commercially).
Hard Gelatin Capsules
The hard gelatin capsule consists of a base or body and a
shorter cap, which fits firmly over the base of the
capsule. For human use, eight sizes of capsules are
available. The capacity of each size varies according to
the combination of drugs and their apparent densities.
Capsules are available as clear gelatin capsules or in a
variety of colors.
Some types of hard gelatin capsules have a locking cap,
which makes it more difficult to reopen the capsule.
To aid in the selection of the appropriate size,
a table, with the capacity of five common
drugs for that particular size capsule, is
printed on the box of the capsules.
As a guide, the relative sizes and fill
capacities of capsules are given below. By
knowing the bulk density of fill material,
proper choice of capsule size is usually made
easier; however, trial and error soon develops
the judgment of the beginning pharmacist.
Capsule Volume
Mg of Lactose Mg of Aspirin
Size )ml(
000 1.37 1340 1000
00 0.95 929 600
0 0.68 665 500
1 0.50 489 300
2 0.37 362 250
3 0.30 293 200
4 0.20 195 125
5 0.13 127 60
Punch" Method of Compounding"
Capsules
To hand fill capsules at the prescription counter, the pharmacist

generally uses the "punch" method. The ingredients are
triturated to the same particle size and then mixed by geometric
dilution.
The powder is placed on a powder paper or ointment slab and
smoothed with a spatula to a height approximately half the
length of the capsule body. The base of the capsule is held
vertically and the open end is repeatedly pushed or "punched"
into the powder until the capsule is filled; the cap is then
replaced to close the capsule.
Each filled capsule is weighed using an empty capsule as a
counterweight. Powder is added or removed until the correct
weight has been placed in the capsule. The filled capsule is
tapped so that no air spaces are visible within the contents.
It is a good practice to remove from the stock
container the exact number of empty capsules
needed before you begin filling them. In this way
you avoid preparing the wrong number of
capsules and at the same time avoid
contaminating the empty capsules with drug
particles that cling to your hands. Also, since
some fill material will likely be lost in the
process of punching capsules, the pharmacist
generally calculates for the preparation of at least
one extra capsule to insure enough fill for the last
capsule.
Capsule Machines

Capsule machines are available for filling 50, 100, and 300
capsules at a time. Each manufacturer's machine is slightly
different in its operation, but the series of operations is the
same.
Capsules are first loaded into the machine. Most machines come
with a capsule loader which correctly aligns all of the capsules
in the machine base. There are plates on the machine base that
can be adjusted. First, the plates are adjusted to hold the capsule
bodies in place while the caps are removed all at one time. The
caps remain in place in the top of the machine for later use.
Then the plates are adjusted again so that the capsule bodies will
"drop" into place so that the tops are flush with the working
surface of the plate.
The formulation powder is poured onto the plate
and special spreaders and combs are used to fill
the individual capsules. Some manufacturer's
have special shakers that will also help spread the
powder and fill the capsules. The powder is
spread evenly over the plate, and the comb is used
to tamp and pack the powder into the capsules.
These two processes are repeated over and over
again until the capsule bodies are filled with the
powder. All of the caps are then simultaneously
returned to the capsule bodies, and the closed
capsules are removed from the machine.
Final Processing

Once the capsules have been compounded and the
capsule closed, the pharmacist may want to "seal"
the capsule. The best way is to use "locking"
capsules, where the body and cap lock together,
making it very difficult to open the capsule again. If
using locking capsules, during the filling process
the cap is not completely closed onto the body in
the weighing procedure to determine the weight of
powder in the capsule. The locking is done only one
time and that is after the capsule is correctly filled.
Capsules should be visually inspected and
checked for:
Uniformity - check capsules for uniformity
in appearance and color.
Extent of fill - check capsules for
uniformity of extent of fill to ensure that all
capsules have been filled.
Locked - check capsules to ensure that they
have all been tightly closed and locked.

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capsule

Fatima M.H Waiss

 They may be used to mask the unpleasant tastes, aromas, or

They are easily tampered (although

To hand fill capsules at the prescription counter, the pharmacist

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