Your assignment is to prepare and submit a paper on the use of polymers in liquid pharmaceutical formulations.

Your assignment is to prepare and submit a paper on the use of polymers in liquid pharmaceutical formulations. . Polymers are extensively used to deliver better drug products. They are employed in film coatings to mask the unpleasant taste of the drug, to improve the stability of hydrophilic drugs, to facilitate handling, and to alter the drug release properties (Jones 2004). Polymers are increasingly dominating the scene as the drug carrier for controlled-release systems. During the process, the drug is released. the polymers get degraded and are sometimes absorbed within the body.

The drugs can be administered to the patient in many forms like liquid, solid, or semisolid. The oral route of administration consists of liquid solutions, emulsions, or suspensions, or in solid forms such as capsules or tablets. It is desirable to provide liquid pharmaceutical formulation to infants, children, older persons, and many other persons who are unable to swallow whole tablets and capsules (Yu & Roche 2001).

When a medicament is given orally, the palatability of the active ingredient is an extremely important factor in ensuring patient compliance. The contact of the active ingredient with the mouth can not be prevented in liquid dosage forms. Sometimes, undesirable taste can be masked by adding flavoring ingredients and sweeteners. However, drugs like antibiotics possess a very strong, bitter, unpleasant taste. To improve the taste and palatability of liquid pharmaceuticals, various taste-masked coating compositions have been employed in the formulation of liquid suspension dosage forms. These formulations should be stable, palatable in the aqueous environment over a prolonged period, relatively insoluble at the non-acidic pHs of the mouth, and exhibit immediate bioavailability after swallowing and ingestion (Danny & Edward 2001). The "reverse enteric coating" provides for rapid release and absorption of the drug in the acidic pH of the stomach, is desirable in the case of liquid dosage forms. The drug particles are spray-coated with the taste masking polymer blend either directly or after granulation, and then the coated particles are admixed with an aqueous liquid vehicle for oral administration. The diffusion and solubility of the coating depend on the ratio of the components of the polymer blend and the physicochemical properties of the active ingredient being coated. Examples of the taste masking liquid pharmaceutical formulations are reported.&nbsp.