A Textbook of Pharmaceutical Suspensions and Novel Suspending Agents

Pharmaceutical Suspensions play an important role in the drug therapy as they have several advantages like more chemical stability of the drug, higher rate of bio-availability, and can mask the unpleasant taste of the drug. Pharmaceutical suspensions are biphasic liquid dosage forms of medicament in which the finely divided solid particles are dispersed in a liquid or semisolid vehicle. The internal phase (solid) is dispersed throughout the external phase (fluid). The addition of suspending agents is essential in order to stabilize these systems. These suspending agents increase the stability, easy redispersibility, enhance pourability and prevent compact cake formation. When preparing any pharmaceutical suspension, choosing the right excipient is crucial in maintaining the integrity and stability of the medicament. Though, there are several suspending agents there is a need of continuous research on novel suspending agents which are safe, effective and economical.