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Making Enteric Coated Tablets

Find innovative production technology for making enteric coated tablets and connect directly with world-leading specialists

Enteric coated tablets making equipment

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 technology do you need?

Industrial sieving machine for pharmaceuticals

Industrial sieving machine for pharmaceuticals

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Fluidized bed system for the granulation and drying of pharmaceuticals

Fluidized bed system for the granulation and drying of pharmaceuticals

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Pharmaceutical tablet coating machine

Pharmaceutical tablet coating machine

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Single-use containment valves

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High containment split butterfly valve

High containment split butterfly valve

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Agitator bead mill for API

Agitator bead mill for API

To achieve precisely defined API properties and safe and reproducible production, rigorous impleme…

Continuous wet granulator and dryer for R&D

Continuous wet granulator and dryer for R&D

Pharmaceutical laboratories need compact equipment to handle and produce small …

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Dry granulator for pharmaceutical powders

Dry granulator for pharmaceutical powders

In pharmaceutical industries, where large-volume production is the norm, compacto…

Energy-efficient film coating machine for pharmaceutical tablets

Energy-efficient film coating machine for pharmaceutical tablets

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Entry-level X-ray inspection system

Entry-level X-ray inspection system

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Individual item serialization equipment

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Serialization and aggregation inspection system

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Pharmaceutical data management software

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Vision inspection system for tablets and capsules

Vision inspection system for tablets and capsules

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Serialized labels inspection and printing station

Serialized labels inspection and printing station

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Clinical trial lab sealer for a laminar airflow bench

Clinical trial lab sealer for a laminar airflow bench

When running small production for clinical trials, stability studies…

Contained Visual Inspection System

Contained Visual Inspection System

In the medicine industry, it is important to ensure there are no defects in tablets or ca…

High speed bottle filler with inspection

High speed bottle filler with inspection

Medicines in tablet, capsule, or soft gel forms undergo various processes before re…

High Speed Visual Inspection System for Tablets

High Speed Visual Inspection System for Tablets

In order to ensure quality and standard specifications of tablets, capsules…

Lifter and De-duster for Tablets

Lifter and De-duster for Tablets

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

Tablet coater for laboratory scale

Tablet coater for laboratory scale

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

Dessicant inserting machine

Dessicant inserting machine

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

Pharmaceutical bottle unscrambler

Pharmaceutical bottle unscrambler

Pharmaceutical packaging industry requires the ability to quickly manage the process yet a…

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Tablet counting machine

Tablet counting machine

Production of pharmaceutical solid dosage forms usually require complete accuracy, flexibility, and co…

Metal detector for bottles

Metal detector for bottles

For metal contamination detection in finished products that are bottled, traditional solutions req…

Wash-in-Place metal detector for tablets

Wash-in-Place metal detector for tablets

Where hygiene and decontamination are vital, traditional pharmaceutical metal detec…

Dust-tight metal detector for tablets

Dust-tight metal detector for tablets

For FDA-compliant production of tablets, the elimination of airborne dust containing a…

Metal detector for tablets and capsules

Metal detector for tablets and capsules

Identification of metallic contaminants is a vital part of pharmaceutical quality co…

Semi-automatic case packer

Semi-automatic case packer

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Automatic blister packaging machine

Automatic blister packaging machine

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Stand-alone aggregation station

Stand-alone aggregation station

The aggregation of pharmaceutical products for tracking purposes is already compulsory in man…

Serialization coding and labeling equipment

Serialization coding and labeling equipment

In the pharmaceutical industry, product serialization is the cornerstone of all…

Side-load case packer

Side-load case packer

As the final stage in the packaging process, an automated case-packing solution can ensure that your com…

Continuous pack cartoner

Continuous pack cartoner

High volume automatic cartoning is vital for large scale production of cosmetic or pharmaceutical pro…

Plate sealing blister machine

Plate sealing blister machine

Blister packaging is the preferred choice for most large-scale pharmaceutical lines, and a plat…

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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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