Intro to tableting final

Question 1

What is a tablet dosage form?

Answer 1

A solid unit dosage form containing one or more APIs and excipients for oral drug delivery.

Question 2

What is the main manufacturing method of tablets?

Answer 2

Compression.

Question 3

Name other tablet manufacturing methods.

Answer 3

Moulding, extrusion, lyophilisation, and 3D printing.

Question 4

What determines tablet size?

Answer 4

Drug dose.

Question 5

What are low-dose and high-dose drugs in tablets?

Answer 5

Low dose <5% tablet weight; high dose >50% tablet weight.

Question 6

Why are high-dose drugs difficult to formulate into tablets?

Answer 6

There is little space left for excipients to correct manufacturing problems.

Question 7

What are excipients?

Answer 7

Non-active ingredients that make tablets manufacturable and ensure proper drug release and bioavailability.

Question 8

What core problems do excipients solve in tablets?

Answer 8

Filler gives bulk; binder gives strength; disintegrant enables drug release; glidant improves powder flow; lubricant aids ejection; anti-adherent prevents sticking; colour/flavour improve acceptability.

Question 9

Give common examples of tablet excipients.

Answer 9

Lactose/MCC (filler), PVP or starch (binder), starch derivatives (disintegrant), colloidal silica (glidant), magnesium stearate (lubricant).

Question 10

What happens if too little binder is used?

Answer 10

Tablet becomes weak and friable.

Question 11

What happens if too much binder is used?

Answer 11

Tablet fails to dissolve properly.

Question 12

Why can excess lubricant reduce bioavailability?

Answer 12

Hydrophobic coating slows disintegration and dissolution.

Question 13

What is the key formulation compromise in tablets?

Answer 13

Tablet strength opposes drug release.

Question 14

Consequences of tablets being too strong vs too weak?

Answer 14

Too strong leads to poor drug release; too weak breaks during handling.

Question 15

Why must tablets disintegrate?

Answer 15

Without disintegration dissolution fails and absorption fails.

Question 16

Main mechanisms of tablet disintegration?

Answer 16

Water wicking, swelling (most important), and gas formation.

Question 17

Which tablets use gas formation for disintegration?

Answer 17

Effervescent tablets.

Question 18

What are immediate-release tablets?

Answer 18

Tablets that disintegrate in the stomach.

Question 19

What is delayed release (enteric coating)?

Answer 19

Drug released in intestine to protect drug from acid or stomach from drug.

Question 20

What is controlled/prolonged release?

Answer 20

Slow drug release over time using polymers such as HPMC.

Question 21

What is pulsatile release?

Answer 21

Timed burst release after a delay.

Question 22

Which tablets dissolve or act in the oral cavity?

Answer 22

Chewable, ODT, lozenges, sublingual, and buccal tablets.

Question 23

Difference between sublingual and buccal tablets?

Answer 23

Sublingual provides rapid absorption; buccal provides slower absorption.

Question 24

What properties must a powder have for tableting?

Answer 24

Good flow, compressibility, and mechanical integrity.

Question 25

What is direct compression?

Answer 25

Compressing powder directly when it already flows and compresses well.

Question 26

Advantage of direct compression?

Answer 26

Fastest and cheapest method.

Question 27

When is granulation required?

Answer 27

When powder has poor flow or compressibility.

Question 28

Purpose of granulation?

Answer 28

Increase particle size, improve flow, prevent segregation, ensure dose uniformity.

Question 29

Steps of wet granulation?

Answer 29

Mix, add binder solution, dry, sieve, and form granules.

Question 30

What happens inside a tablet press?

Answer 30

Die fills, punches compress, bonds form, and tablet is ejected.

Question 31

How do particles bond during compression?

Answer 31

Rearrangement, plastic deformation, fragmentation, and intermolecular forces.

Question 32

Why is powder flow critical in tableting?

Answer 32

Ensures consistent die filling and accurate dosing.

Question 33

Problems caused by poor powder flow?

Answer 33

Weight variation, content non-uniformity, and weak tablets.

Question 34

What causes dose variation in tablets?

Answer 34

Segregation or poor die filling.

Question 35

What sequence must occur for a tablet drug to be absorbed?

Answer 35

Disintegration, dissolution, then absorption.

Question 36

Formulation factors reducing bioavailability?

Answer 36

Excess binder, excess lubricant, drug-excipient interactions, hydrophobic coatings.

Question 37

Main advantages of tablets?

Answer 37

Accurate dosing, stability, low cost, convenience, and easy transport.

Question 38

Main disadvantages of tablets?

Answer 38

Swallowing difficulty, slow onset, GI irritation, poor bioavailability for poorly soluble drugs, unsuitable for vomiting or unconscious patients.

Question 39

Weight variation usually indicates what?

Answer 39

Poor powder flow.

Question 40

Poor dissolution usually indicates what?

Answer 40

Too much binder or lubricant.

Question 41

Tablet sticking to punches indicates?

Answer 41

Insufficient lubricant or anti-adherent.

Question 42

Crumbling tablets indicate?

Answer 42

Insufficient binder.

Question 43

Weak tablets with correct weight usually indicate?

Answer 43

Poor compression or bonding.

Question 44

Why can tablets cause GI irritation?

Answer 44

Local drug release in the stomach lining.

Question 45

What is the fundamental concept of tablet formulation?

Answer 45

Tablets control flow, compression, strength, disintegration, dissolution, and absorption; failure of any step causes therapeutic failure.