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When taking a tablet, it is usually the job of our stomach to break down the medication to make it ready to be absorbed into the bloodstream. However, some drugs are not meant to be dissolved in the stomach because the acidic pH of the stomach can disintegrate the drug, making it no longer effective. Using tablet coating equipment that applies a polymer barrier to the tablet makes it possible to protect it from stomach acidity.

Which enteric coated tablets equipment do you need?

Industrial sieving machine for pharmaceuticals

One of the physical

Fluidized bed system for the granulation and drying of pharmaceuticals

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Pharmaceutical tablet coating machine

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Single-use containment valves

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High containment split butterfly valve

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Pharmaceutical granulator

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Compact blister machine

A compact blister machine ideal for packing tablets, capsules, ampoules and syringes and other applic...

R&D electronic counter for capsules and tablets

This machine has been designed to offer an ever-precise and reliable count...

Checkweigher

A check weigher that is equipped with high speed/high accuracy force balance load cell. It meets stringent accura...

Small bottle checkweigher

Any small-diameter bottle, containing prescription medication or cosmetic applications, can be pro...

Sorption dehumidifier with air-chilled condenser

It is not always possible to duct out the wet air from a dehumidifier ser...

Small portable dehumidifier

Water damaged areas require dehumidification to limit the damage and prepare the area for restor...

Sorption dehumidifier for large temperature differences

Small, humid areas can be difficult to dehumidify in humid ambien...

Sorption dehumidifier for deep drying

Humid ambient conditions such as those in tropical climates make dehumidification mor...

Dehumidifier for difficult wet airflows

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Sorption dehumidifier for overpressured rooms

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Heat recycling sorption dehumidifier

Facilities that handle large amounts of water can become very humid. High humidity may...

Industrial desiccant dehumidifier

Dehumidification of medium sized manufacturing and processing facilities can be a dauntin...

Large scale desiccant dehumidifier

Moisture sensitive processing and storage facilities need low humidity environments to s...

Customizable dehumidifier

Dehumidification needs can vary significantly from one project to another. Dehumidifiers with a fi...

Small feeder with flexible wall hopper

In many laboratory applications and production processes, smaller quantities of powd...

Entry-level high-shear mixer for drug formulation

For pilot and lab-scale pharmaceutical ...

High-shear mixer

For the efficient mixing of larger batches of pharmaceutical compounds and hi...

Conical mill for drug formulation

The efficient size reduction of granular powders is a key...

Fluid bed dryer for production scale

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Granulation line of mixer and fluid bed dryer

A complete granulation line allows for the m...

Lab scale single layer tablet press

Automated pressing of tablets saves time and improves q...

Rotary tablet press

For pharmaceutical tablet producers looking to reduce waste, costs and  i...

Single and double layer tablet press

High performance tablet presses that are capable of pr...

Automatic tablet coater for lab scale

The ability to coat tablets in an even and controlled...

Tablet auto coater for lab scale

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High capacity weight sorter for tablets & capsules

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Entry-level blister packaging machine

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Industrial blister packaging machine

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Continuous pack cartoner

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Serialization coding and labeling equipment

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Automatic blister packaging machine

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Semi-automatic case packer

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Metal detector for tablets and capsules

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Dust-tight metal detector for tablets

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Wash-in-Place metal detector for tablets

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Metal detector for bottles

For metal contamination detection in finished products that are bottled, traditional solutions re...

Tablet counting machine

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Pharmaceutical bottle unscrambler

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Dessicant inserting machine

Desiccant canisters play an important role in the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. T...

Tablet coater for laboratory scale

Tablet coating can be applied for adding colours or glosses, or based around sugar in or...

Lifter and De-duster for Tablets

The use of several different tools for lifting, de-dusting, and polishing in the pharmaceut...

High Speed Visual Inspection System for Tablets

In order to ensure quality and standard specifications of tablets, capsule...

High speed bottle filler with inspection

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Contained Visual Inspection System

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Clinical trial lab sealer for a laminar airflow bench

When running small production for clinical trials, stability studie...

Serialized labels inspection and printing station

Labels are a key component in pharmaceutical packaging lines as they in...

Vision inspection system for tablets and capsules

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Pharmaceutical data management software

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Serialization and aggregation inspection system

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Individual item serialization equipment

Traceability is critical to quality assurance in the pharmaceutical sector. But ser...

Entry-level X-ray inspection system

Without compromising on performance, if you need an entry level x-ray inspection system...
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Stories about Enteric Coated Tablets

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Tell us about your production challenge

When selecting production equipment for a production plant, it is important to talk to someone with experience in your field. Our industry experts have experience with various industrial applications. We’d love to help you!
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Why is an enteric-coated tablet needed?

So if it can’t be the stomach’s job to dissolve the tablets, whose job will that be? Enteric comes from the Greek word énteron, meaning intestine. As we mentioned earlier, some drugs like Rabeprazole or Pantoprazole are destroyed by the acidic pH of the stomach acids.

The funny thing is that these drugs are meant to reduce the acids in the stomach, but they are destroyed by the acids themselves without having a chance to provide their effectiveness. So they need to bypass the stomach and be released in the small intestine.

The enteric coating ensures that the tablet remains unaltered and stable in the stomach’s acidic pH (pH ~3) but breaks down and dissolves at higher pH (alkaline, pH 7–9) of the intestine. On the other hand, some drugs like aspirin and NSAIDs (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) can also cause side effects such as gastric irritation or nausea. The enteric coating protects the gastric mucosa from the drug itself. Another reason for enterically coated tablets is to provide a delayed release of the medication.

Polymers used for enteric coating

The enteric coating is nothing more than applying a polymer film on a tablet. Obviously, the polymers used for this coating must be resistant to gastric fluids. Polymers for enteric coating remain unionized at low pH, but when they reach the small intestine, they become soluble and swell, and begin to dissolve at a pH of 5.0-5.5. In addition to this, they should be compatible with the drug substrate and the coating solution and should be non-toxic in nature.

Examples of enteric film-coating polymers are cellulose acetate phthalate (CAP), which is the oldest and the most used for enteric coating, Cellulose acetate trimellitate (CAT), Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose phthalate (HPMCP) and Shellac.

Applying a polymer film using tablet coating equipment

When preparing an enteric coating formulation, you need to pay attention to the mixing part. The mixture should be uniform and fine enough to pass through the coating system. The most common tablet coating equipment used for enteric coating is a pan coating system. This involves spraying the film-forming material onto the tablet surface as the tablets rotate in the pan.

Hot air is applied which helps the organic solvent evaporate and form the coat over the tablets. You need to repeat the process according to the desired thickness of the tablet’s film.

Enteric-coated tablets are pills that have a special coating designed to protect the active ingredients from stomach acid. While protecting, these tablets are still able to release the important API in the intestine. This feature is particularly important for drugs like naproxen and ibuprofen. Which have been known to cause irritation of the stomach lining. And thus, can cause ulcers. Enteric coated tablets are commonly used in the treatment of arthritis and inflammation and can be found at most local pharmacies.

Processing steps involved in enteric-coated-tablets making

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