Same Drug With Different Dosage Form

by

You’ve seen it:

Paracetamol is available as a tablet, syrup, injection, even IV drip.

But isn’t it the same drug? Why so many forms?

Let’s break it down

1. Patient Age & Condition

  • A child can’t swallow a tablet. An ICU patient can’t drink syrup.
  • Liquid, IV, or dispersible tablets are designed for such patients.

2. Speed of Action

  • A severe fever? Take IV Paracetamol — works in minutes.
  • Mild headache? A tablet is enough.
  • Different dosage forms = different onset & bioavailability.

3. Absorption Site

  • Some drugs need to bypass stomach acid (acid-labile).
  • Example: enteric-coated tabs release only in intestine.
  • Others need direct bloodstream entry — hence injections.

4. Taste & Patient Comfort

  • Some APIs are bitter as hell.
  • You need syrups with sweeteners, capsules to mask taste, or coated tabs.

5. Dose Accuracy & Compliance

  • In hospitals, IV ensures precise dosing every time.
  • At home, patients prefer easy-to-use tablets or capsules.

6. Stability

  • Some drugs degrade in water.
  • So syrups are made dry (powder reconstituted later).
  • Some degrade in stomach acid — hence coating or capsule shell protection.

7. Cost & Convenience

  • Tablets are cheaper and easy to transport.
  • Injections are costly, need trained personnel, and have shelf-life issues.

8. Formulation Feasibility

  • Not every API can be compressed into a stable tab.
  • Some need emulsions, suspensions, or even nanoparticle-based systems.

9. Combination Therapy

  • Fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) need form compatibility.
  • You can’t just mix APIs randomly — solubility, pH, and kinetics matter.

10. Market & Regional Needs

  • In hot climates, liquids spoil faster — so tablets dominate.
  • In pediatrics or geriatrics, countries prefer syrups or ODTs.

So the same drug gets many lives — each tailored by formulation scientists. It’s not “extra work” — it’s life-saving precision.

Think before you pop a pill. There’s science behind that dosage form. Salute to formulation scientists who make therapy smarter, safer, simpler.


Read also:


Resource Person: Dev Soni

Leave a Comment