Application of HPMC in the Pharmaceutical Industry
HPMC (HydroxyPropyl Methyl Cellulose) not only has the properties of other cellulose ethers such as thickening, dispersion, emulsification, adhesion, film-forming, moisture retention and providing protective colloids effects, but also has better solubility in organic solvents than methyl cellulose and hydroxy ethyl cellulose.
In the pharmaceutical industry, HydroxyPropyl Methyl Cellulose is a non-toxic and safe pharmaceutical excipient. It is not absorbed orally and does not increase the the energy of foods. It can be used as the film-forming agent, thickener, blocker, sustained-release agent, emulsifying agent and suspending agent in a variety of dosage forms, thus making all kinds of pharmaceutical formulations more evenly dispersed, or tough without being broken, or with sustained release effects or stable emulsion without stratification.
As film coating materials, the products with low viscosity and high concentration can be used as the aqueous film coating solution, while those with high viscosity can be used as organic solvent solution. It can be used as the binder of tablets, the thickener for eye drops, and as topical preparations such as the protective colloid for gels or ointments, as well as the stabilizer of emulsions and suspensions. It can also act as the adhesive of plastic bandage.
In recent years, HydroxyPropyl Methyl Cellulose has been used as the matrix, adhesives, frame materials, the porogen, the film forming material or coating material. Furthermore, it has been widely used in the development of new formulations such as the sustained-release mucosa adhesive, controlled-release pellets, microcapsules, a variety of matrix sustained-release tablets, controlled-release tablets, Multilayer sustained-release tablets, a variety of coating sustained-release formulations, suppositories, ophthalmic preparations and sustained-release suppositories.
Application of HPMC in the Pharmaceutical Industry