Current developments in tablet coatings
Surface coating on drug tablets is a widely practiced and commercially significant technology and is a workhorse of the pharmaceutical industry as far as post production protection of drug tablets and capsules is concerned. This technological area involves a highly sophisticated and complex end-use of surface coatings technology into pharmaceutics which is of high value to the industry especially to the pharmaceutical and coatings technologist .While existing literature on this subject has focused upon the entirety of the area with respect to every minute factor such as types of the said coatings, the equipment involved, the biopharmaceutical aspects, the coloring and flavoring of the dosage forms and even the testing and stability evaluation of the dosage forms, this review focuses essentially on the latest developments in two main research areas namely the polymer chemistry of film coatings and the phenomenon of Controlled Release of an active pharmaceutical ingredient from the dosage form.