Suspensions
• Suspensions are an important pharmaceutical dosage form that are still widely in
use.
• Common pharmaceutical products that are suspensions include:
• * ear drops * enemas * inhalations * lotions * mixtures for oral use.
• A pharmaceutical suspension is defined as a preparation where at least one of
the active ingredients is suspended throughout the vehicle. In contrast to
solutions, in a suspension at least one of the ingredients is not dissolved in the
vehicle and so the preparation will require shaking before a dose is administered.
• The British Pharmacopoeia (BP) defines oral suspensions as: ‘Oral Liquids
containing one or more active ingredients suspended in a suitable vehicle.
Suspended solids may slowly separate on standing but are easily re dispersed.’
The advantages and disadvantages of suspensions
as dosage forms are summarised :
General principles of suspension preparation
• Although similar to pharmaceutical solutions in a number of ways,
pharmaceutical suspensions differ in that one or more of the solid
ingredients are suspended throughout the vehicle rather than
dissolved within it.
• Different pharmaceutical solids have differing abilities to suspend
throughout a vehicle.
• This results in two types of pharmaceutical suspension: diffusible
suspensions and in diffusible suspensions.
Diffusible suspensions
• These are suspensions containing light powders that are insoluble, or
only very slightly soluble, in the vehicle but which on shaking disperse
evenly throughout the vehicle for long enough to allow an accurate
dose to be poured.
• Examples of diffusible powders commonly incorporated into
pharmaceutical suspensions include:
• * Light Kaolin BP – insoluble in water * Light Magnesium Carbonate
BP – very slightly soluble in water * Magnesium Trisilicate BP –
insoluble in water.
Indiffusible suspensions
• These are suspensions containing heavy powders that are insoluble in
the vehicle and which on shaking do not disperse evenly throughout
the vehicle long enough to allow an accurate dose to be poured.
Examples of indiffusible powders commonly incorporated into
pharmaceutical suspensions include:
• * Aspirin BP * Calamine BP * Chalk BP * Zinc Oxide BP.
• In the preparation of indiffusible suspensions, the main difference
from diffusible suspensions is that the vehicle must be thickened to
slow down the rate at which the powder settles. This is achieved by
the addition of a suspending agent.
Formulation of suspensions
• The non-soluble ingredients of a suspension are dispersed in the
vehicle and, as with pharmaceutical solutions, water is normally the
vehicle of choice.
• The density of the aqueous vehicle can be altered slightly by the
addition of sucrose or glycerol and the viscosity can be changed by
the addition of thickening agents. The increase in the viscosity means
that the rate of sedimentation of the insoluble solid will be slower.
Other additives
• Colourings and flavourings are added to suspensions for the same purposes
as they are added to solutions
• It must be remembered that with the large surface area of the dispersed
powders some of these additives may be adsorbed onto the powder and
therefore the effective concentration in solution may be reduced.
• For example, a given concentration of dye may produce a paler coloured
product when there is a large amount of finely divided disperse phase in
suspension, owing to dye adsorption.
• As with solutions, Double Strength Chloroform Water BP is a commonly
used preservative for suspensions.
• Other useful preservatives employed in the manufacture of suspensions
include Benzoic Acid BP 0.1%, which is suitable for internal use, and
Chlorocresol BP (0.1% w/v), which is suitable for external use.
Suspensions as 'emergency' formulations
• In addition to established formulae, compounders may be required to produce a suitable
liquid preparation for patients who are unable to swallow tablets or capsules.
• Occasionally, the medicament required may only be available commercially as a solid
dosage [Link] a liquid preparation is unavailable, the compounder may be expected to
prepare a liquid product from the commercially available solid dosage form. This
normally involves crushing of tablets or opening of capsules to provide powdered drug to
prepare a suspension.
• When preparing a suspension from solid dosage forms, it must always be remembered
that tablets and capsules will contain unknown excipients as well as the nominal quantity
of drug. The bioavailability of the drug is likely to be unknown, and if possible a pure
sample of powdered drug should be obtained in order to produce a suspension without
extraneous components.
• However, in cases where the solid dosage form is the only source of the drug,
Tragacanth Powder BP or Compound Tragacanth Powder BP are usually suitable
suspending agents.
Oral diffusible suspensions
• General method for the preparation of a suspension containing a
diffusible solid
1: Check the solubilities, in the vehicle, of all solids in the mixture.
2:Calculate the quantities of vehicle required to dissolve any soluble
solids.
3:Prepare any Double Strength Chloroform Water BP required.
4:Weigh all solids on a Class II or electronic balance.
5: Dissolve all soluble solids in the vehicle in a small glass beaker using
the same procedures as outlined in the chapter on solutions .
6 :Mix any insoluble diffusible powders in a porcelain mortar using the
‘doubling-up’ technique to ensure complete mixing .
7: Add a small quantity of the vehicle (which may or may not be a solution of
the soluble ingredients) to the solids in the mortar and mix using a pestle to
form a smooth paste.
8 :Add further vehicle in small quantities, and continue mixing until the
mixture in the mortar is of a pourable consistency.
9 :Transfer the contents of the mortar to a conical measure of suitable size.
10:Rinse out the mortar with more vehicle and add any rinsings to the
conical measure.
11 :Add remaining liquid ingredients to the mixture in the conical measure.
• (These are added now,as some may be volatile and therefore exposure
during mixing needs to be reduced to prevent loss of the ingredient by
evaporation.)
12 :Make up to final volume with vehicle.
13 :Stir gently, transfer to a suitable container, ensuring that all the solid is
transferred from the conical measure to the bottle, and label ready to be
dispensed to the patient.
• Point of clarity – method
• Alternatively, the contents of the mortar could be transferred directly to a
pre-prepared tared container. Rinsings from the mortar and other liquid
ingredients could then be added to the bottle before being made up to
final volume. This would prevent any possible transference loss caused by
powders sedimenting in the conical measure.
Oral indiffusible suspensions
• Oral indiffusible suspensions are prepared using the same basic
principles as for oral diffusible suspensions. The main difference is
that the preparation will require the addition of a suspending agent.
• The suspending agent of choice will normally be combined with the
indiffusible solid using the ‘doubling-up’ technique before
incorporation into the product.
General method for the preparation of a
suspension containing an in diffusible solid
1 :Check the solubilities in the vehicle of all solids in the mixture.
2 :Calculate the quantities of vehicle required to dissolve any soluble
solids.
3 :Prepare any Double Strength Chloroform Water BP required.
4 :Weigh all solids on a Class II or electronic balance.
5 :Dissolve all soluble solids in the vehicle in a small glass beaker.
6: Mix any insoluble indiffusible powders and the suspending agent in a
porcelain mortar using the‘doubling-up’ technique to ensure complete
mixing.
Add a small quantity of the vehicle (which may or may not be a solution of the
soluble ingredients) to the solids in the mortar and mix using a pestle to form a
smooth paste. 8 Add further vehicle in small quantities, and continue mixing until
the mixture in the mortar is a pourable consistency.
9 :Transfer the contents of the mortar to a conical measure of suitable size.
10 :Rinse out the mortar with more vehicle and add any rinsings to the conical
measure.
11: Add remaining liquid ingredients to the mixture in the conical measure. (These
are added now, as some may be volatile and therefore exposure during mixing
needs to be reduced to prevent loss of the ingredient by evaporation.)
12 :Make up to final volume with vehicle.
13 Stir gently, transfer to a suitable container, ensuring that all the solid is
transferred from the conical measure to the bottle, and label ready to be dispensed
to the patient.
Point of clarity – method
• Alternatively, the contents of the mortar could be transferred directly
to a pre-prepared tared container.
• Rinsings from the mortar and other liquid ingredients could then be
added to the bottle before being made up to final volume.
• This would prevent any possible transference loss caused by powders
sedimenting in the conical measure .
Suspensions for external use
• Suspensions intended for external use can be compounded using the
same basic principles as those intended for internal use.
• There may be differences in the choice of suspending agent used .
Inhalations
• Inhalations are liquid products that contain volatile ingredients intended to
be released and brought into contact with the respiratory lining.
• Suspensions are a particularly useful way of effecting this transfer as the
volatile ingredient can be adsorbed onto a carrier powder
(a diffusible solid) and formulated as a suspension which can then provide
an accurate dose to be added to hot (about 65C) but not boiling water, so
that the volatile ingredient is released and inhaled by the patient.
• Alcoholic solutions are also suitable to use as a ‘hot’ inhalation. If
ingredients are volatile at room temperature they may be inhaled directly
from a handkerchief or absorbent pad.
Lotions
• Lotions can be suspensions, although they may also be solutions or
emulsions .
• They are intended to be applied to the skin, without friction, on a
carrier fabric such as lint and covered with a waterproof dressing. In
some cases, such as Calamine Lotion BP, they may be dabbed onto
the skin surface and allowed to dry.
• Thank you