Capsule formulation: future trends

By Torkel Gren

10 July 2023

In this Q&A, Recipharm’s Torkel Gren discusses developments in capsule formulation, including the shift away from gelatine and the potential for growth in the inhalation capsule market.

Gelatine also poses potential long-term performance challenges”

Several major trends have emerged in recent years in the capsule space. First, we are seeing growing demand for new materials to replace the traditional gelatine capsule shell. One of the reasons for this is the growing importance of offering an alternative vegan capsule for patients who, for dietary reasons, do not want to consume animal products. Gelatine also poses potential long-term performance challenges that can impact on the shelf life of a product – for instance, it can become insoluble when stored in certain storage conditions, resulting in a capsule that will not release any drug. The next generation of shell materials replacing gelatine, such as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), are not only vegan, but have a lower moisture content, offering greater performance consistency and maximising product shelf life.

Another trend we are seeing is the development of more sophisticated capsules to serve as research tools in pharmaceutical development. For example, there have been capsules created that allow for monitoring of external conditions, such as pH, and that enable external control over drug release. These newly developed tools can be used in clinical research, such as in drug absorption studies, and can contribute to faster and more efficient development of oral pharmaceutical products.

Finally, in terms of the manufacturing process, capsule filling is gradually becoming more efficient, which, in combination with new capsule materials such as HPMC, is making capsules an even more attractive oral dosage form for many drug products.