By An oral liquid form of medications is better than solid drugs like capsules and tablets for patients who have difficulty swallowing. These are the perfect option for elderly patients and children. Liquids also get absorbed quickly compared to solid foods by the body fluids and achieve a proper dosage of the medication. Moreover, drinks are also more palatable. There goes a lot of effort of an oral liquid manufacturer to deliver the end product to the customers.
Division of oral liquids
Oral liquids are divided into two forms – monophasic and biphasic. Each type contains more than or equal one ingredient within a liquid solvent, creating a homogenous liquid. The liquids may also have flavoring and sweetening agents and even coloring agents. Oral liquid manufacturing involves the following forms –
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Monophasic liquid
Forms are homogenous solutions of active ingredients dissolved in a non-aqueous solvent or water. Common monophasic forms are syrups.
Syrups – a viscous oral solution containing more than one ingredient. The base has a large amount of sugar like sorbitol or sucrose, which can change the taste, inhibit crystallization, or modify solubilization. Sugarless syrups contain sweetening agents like saccharin.
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Biphasic liquid forms
These are formed when the dissolution of the active ingredients doesn’t dissolve in common solvents but in suspensions, mixtures, and emulsions.
An oral suspension is a liquid form containing active ingredients suspended in a base. The solid particles may separate over time but will disperse on shaking.
Oral emulsions have active ingredients unstable in water but stabilized in oil-in-water dispersions. After a proper shake, you get an entirely homogenous dose.
In mixtures, the oral liquid has suspended or dispersed ingredients in a base. The suspended particles can easily be re-suspended on a proper shake.
Fluids likewise get retained immediately contrasted with strong food varieties by the body liquids and accomplish an appropriate measurements of the drug.
Special requirements
While getting into the process of oral liquid manufacturing, some special requirements need to be fulfilled, which are the following:
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Building and equipment
The premises and equipment should be designed, built, and maintained to be suitable to manufacture oral liquids. The areas should be prepared to minimize the risk of mix-ups and cross-contamination.
The production area must be clean and sanitized after every cycle of production. The pipework, tanks, containers, and pumps should have a design that can be easily cleaned and sanitized.
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Purified water
The microbiological and chemical quality of the purified water should be monitored regularly. To avoid the risk of microbial proliferation, care should be taken by adapting methods like UV treatment, recirculation, and sanitizing agent.
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Manufacturing
Next comes the manufacturing personnel, who should wear non-fiber shedding clothing to prevent contamination. The entire manufacturing process of the oral liquid forms should be monitored closely to ensure whether special care is given or not. When the bulk production is not immediately packed, the storage period and conditions should be specified.
Suppose an oral liquid manufacturer has all the equipment mentioned above and other vital components in place. In that case, the production will be efficient and safe, keeping all the guidelines in mind.
