Abstract

*Oday Sajjad Alsawad

ABSTRACT

Pharmaceutical polymers are key ingredients in the design and performance of solid dosage forms, which directly affect drug release behavior, stability, manufacturability and bioavailability. Their functional roles vary from being included as a binder and disintegrant in their immediate-release counterparts to acting as matrix formers, coating agents and release modifiers in the controlled and modified-release systems. The aim of this narrative review is to critically assess pharmaceutical polymers for solid dosage form design considering mainly their classification, functional mechanism, industrial use, and regulatory issue. A structured search of the literature was done using the major scientific databases looking for publications from the last 10-15 years. Evidence from formulation science and industrial experience underscores that while innovation in polymer use for sophisticated release control strategies or enhanced product performance is made possible by polymer formulation, polymer choice and processing introduces great challenges with regard to variability, scale-up, quality control, and regulatory compliance. An integrated understanding of polymer chemistry, formulation function and manufacturing constraints are therefore very essential to successful solid dosage form development.