Master of Pharmacy: Pharmaceutical Formulations and Dosage Forms Flashcards
7 cards from real MPharm Master of Pharmacy practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Master of Pharmacy: Pharmaceutical Formulations and Dosage Forms flashcards as text
Which mechanism governs drug release from an osmotic pump tablet (OROS)?
Answer: Osmotic pressure driving fluid in and drug solution out through a laser-drilled orifice
OROS tablets use osmotic pressure to draw water in, building pressure that pushes drug solution out through a precision orifice at a controlled rate.
What is the primary purpose of a plasticizer in film-coated tablets?
Answer: Reduce polymer brittleness and improve film flexibility
Plasticizers (e.g., PEG, triethyl citrate) lower the glass transition temperature of coating polymers, making the film flexible and resistant to cracking.
A suppository base that melts at body temperature but is immiscible with water is classified as:
Answer: Fatty or oleaginous base (cocoa butter)
Cocoa butter is the classic fatty base that melts near 37 °C and does not mix with rectal fluids, releasing drug by melting rather than dissolution.
Which type of emulsion is preferred for intravenous parenteral nutrition lipid emulsions?
Answer: Oil-in-water (O/W)
IV lipid emulsions are O/W type so the aqueous continuous phase is miscible with blood, preventing fat embolism.
In hot-melt extrusion (HME), the primary role of the process is to:
Answer: Disperse drug molecularly in a polymer carrier to form a solid dispersion
HME uses heat and mechanical shear to embed drug molecules within a thermoplastic polymer matrix, producing an amorphous solid dispersion that enhances solubility.
The HLB value required to stabilize an O/W emulsion typically falls in the range of:
Answer: 8–18
Emulsifiers with HLB 8–18 are hydrophilic enough to orient at the oil-water interface and stabilize O/W emulsions.
Which excipient class is used in orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs) to achieve rapid disintegration without water?
Answer: Super-disintegrants (croscarmellose sodium)
Super-disintegrants like croscarmellose sodium swell rapidly upon contact with saliva, breaking the tablet apart within 30 seconds.