Tablets & Capsules

TC0115A

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N 10 January 2015 Tablets & Capsules capsules and capsule filling Encapsulation innovation: The new and novel in hard and soft capsules Matthew Knopp Editor Judged by the number of products on the market, tablets win hands down over capsules. But capsules offer more versatility in delivering drugs and dietary supplements. Here's a glimpse at some of what's new. o one expects capsules to overtake tablets as the preferred pharmaceutical dosage form. Nonetheless, "the capsule market is increasing by 4 to 5 percent per year in units, while the average market in units of pharmaceutical products in general is growing by 3 to 4 percent," said Martin Opitz, a senior market expert at Robert Bosch Packaging Technology, Waiblingen, Germany. "At present, the ratio of capsules to tablets in the world is 1-to-5.5, capsules-to-tablets, and it's always a question of where the trend is going. If it's going more the capsule way, that doesn't mean we'll get close to 1-to- 1, but it might become 1-to-4." Opitz cited expiring patents as the main driver for the growth in capsules versus the market overall: As former blockbusters have lost patent protection, production of generic versions has soared. He estimated that the number of capsules used for making omeprazole went from 1 billion annually to 10 billion after the innovator's product came off patent. "There is a huge boost in volume when they become generic," he said. "Two-thirds of capsule volume is going to generics and OTCs." That's why it's important to capture an innovator's attention at the R&D stage, he said: Whatever process, product, or technology the innovators select, the generic manufacturers will likely also adopt. That locks in future revenue from the follow-on manufacturers and "allows our capsule filling technology to stay long term," Opitz said. That long-term relationship and the promise of bigger volumes also appeal to suppliers of capsule shells, such as Capsugel, Greenwood, SC, as well as CDMOs that formulate and manufacture softgels, such as Patheon, Durham, NC, and Catalent, Somerset, NJ.

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