Posted by Cam W. on July 2, 2000, at 11:49:48
In reply to Re: how to transform powder form to tablets form , posted by Leong Khah Loon on June 30, 2000, at 12:39:11
Leong - I think what your prof meant by active and inactive drugs has to do with drug stability. The drug itself is active in solution (ie dissolved in blood plasma in it's ionized form) where it can act at a receptor. In tablet (or capsule) form the drug in solution is mixed with a substance that causes the drug to precipitate out of solution. Basically what you are doing is forming a "salt". A drug usually is more stable in a salt form.
An example of a simple salt is sodium chloride (NaCl - table salt). A solution of sodium (dissolved sodium hydroxide - NaOH - another salt) is mixed with hydrochloric acid (HCl) and sodium chloride (NaCl) and water (H2O) are formed. Or:
NaOH + HCL -> NaCl + HOH (or H20)
The combination of sodium and chloride are insoluble in water, so they turn to a solid when they combine. The same principle is used to turn drugs into solids (eg fluoxetine in powder form is the salt fluoxetine hydrochloride). These salts dissociate (or break apart) either in acidic solutions (stomach) or in basic solutions (small intestine) and then the active drug is absorbed.
Hope this is what you are looking for. - Cam
poster:Cam W.
thread:38732
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000630/msgs/39040.html