Pill (pharmacy)

A pill (from the Latin pilula: beads) is a generally feature coating dosage form in spherical shape ( sometimes in egg or roll form) for oral administration.

Pills can be prepared by mixing of the active substance, a filler ( e.g., lactose ), a binder (e.g. Hefetrockenextrakt ) and an abutment means (for example, water, glycerol ), a slightly malleable, moldable good, but non-adhesive mass is produced. From this mass the pills are portioned using a Pillenabschneiders and then rolled (hence " scarab "). The end (for example, lycopodium or cocoa powder ) prevents the sticking together of the individual pills in the discharge vessel with a release agent. The same function can also meet coatings of Tolu, glue, silver, gold, urea or sugar.

Since the excipients used can be a breeding ground for bacteria easy, and the manner of production is unhygienic, pills are obsolete. The release of the drug can be predicted only with difficulty, because the pills harden. For these reasons, pills have disappeared entirely from the pharmacy practice and displaced by tablets and capsules.

In the colloquial language is called with " pill " drug of solids ( in pill, dragee, tablet, or capsule form ). In particular, is meant by the pill a means of hormonal contraception (birth control pills ), said no pills, but dragees or tablets are technologically.

• Pharmaceutical Technology