
What is lactose used for in medicine?
Lactose is widely used as a filler or diluent in tablets and capsules, and to a more limited extent in lyophilized products, infant feed formulas, and a diluent in dry-powder inhalations. 1-9 Lactose is widely used as a filler or filler-binder in the manufacture of pharmaceutical tablets and capsules.
What are the uses of lactose as a filler?
Lactose is widely used as a filler or diluent in tablets and capsules, and to a more limited extent in lyophilized products, infant feed formulas, and a diluent in dry-powder inhalations.1-9. GENERAL PROPERTIES OF LACTOSE AS AN EXCIPIENT. Lactose is widely used as a filler or filler-binder in the manufacture of pharmaceutical tablets and capsules.
What is lyophilized lactose used for?
Lactose is widely used as a filler or diluent in tablets and capsules, and to a more limited extent in lyophilized products, infant feed formulas, and a diluent in dry-powder inhalations. 1-9.
What is the structure of lactose?
It is a disaccharide composed of one galactose and one glucose molecule. In the pharmaceutical industry, lactose is used to help form tablets because it has excellent compressibility properties. It is also used to form a diluent powder for dry-powder inhalations. Lactose may be listed as lactose hydrous, lactose anhydrous,...

Why is lactose used as a filler?
Answer: Lactose is often used as a filler in pills because it helps hold the active ingredient together and makes the pill big enough to handle. Some people are so sensitive that even the relatively small amount in a medication can cause distress.
What are the uses of lactose?
Other uses for lactose are as substrates in production of materials such as penicillin, as seed material in the manufacture of dairy products such as sweetened condensed milk, and as a raw material for production of lactose- hydrolyzed products, fermented products, and some chemicals.
What is the function of diluents in formulation?
Diluents: Diluents are fillers used to make up the volume of tablet if tablet is inadequate to produce the volume. Diluents used as disintegrants in dispersible and orally disintegrating tablet.
What is lactose in pharmacy?
Lactose is used as an excipient in the pharmaceutical industry. It is one of the most common of all excipients, present in 60%–70% of registered oral solid dose formulations. Historically, an excipient was defined as an inert substance or ingredient used to prepare pharmaceutical dosage forms (Pifferi & Restani, 2003).
What type of excipient is lactose?
Lactose is one of the most commonly used excipients within the pharmaceutical industry in the production of solid dosage forms. Lactose is commonly used as a diluent/binder in order to produce tablets of sufficient hardness whilst maintaining good disintegration properties.
Does lactose dissolve in water?
WaterEthanolLactose/Soluble in
What is the purpose of diluent?
Diluents are used to increase the size of the dosage form. Diluents are usually added to tablets where the active constituent is in low dose and to improve the powder flow and compaction properties prior to direct compression. Diluents are commonly used in the range between 5% and 80%.
Can any diluent other than lactose be used?
Natural diluents include starches, hydrolyzed starches, and partially pregelatinized starches. Common diluents include anhydrous lactose, lactose monohydrate, and sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, xylitol and mannitol.
What is the difference between solvent and diluent?
They are sometimes misunderstood as being synonyms; however, solvents are liquids that dissolve other substances -- called solutes -- while diluents are liquids that dilute the concentrations of other liquids.
What are the properties of lactose?
Properties Of LactoseChemical formulaC12H22O11Molecular weight342.297 g/molDensity1.525 g/cm3Melting point202.8 °CChemical namesMilk sugar, 4-O-β-D-galactopyranosyl-D-glucose
Is lactose a reducing sugar?
For the same reason lactose is a reducing sugar. The free aldehyde formed by ring opening can react with Benedict's solution. Thus, a solution of lactose contains both the α and β anomer at the “reducing end” of the disaccharide. Although the aglycone can be either α or β, the glycosidic bond is always β in lactose.
In what mannitol is used as diluent?
Mannitol is a polyol isomer of sorbitol. It is a nonhygroscopic diluent and widely used in pharmaceutical preparations at concentrations of 10%–90% w/w. Mannitol occurs as a white, odorless, crystalline powder, or free-flowing granules (Rowe et al., 2009).
Why is lactose used in tablets?
Lactose (C12H22O11) is milk sugar. It is a disaccharide composed of one galactose and one glucose molecule. In the pharmaceutical industry, lactose is used to help form tablets because it has excellent compressibility properties. It is also used to form a diluent powder for dry-powder inhalations.
Do people need lactose?
While lactose has many health benefits for babies in their development stage, adults can do without it. So if you find that you're lactose intolerant, you can avoid lactose-containing foods without the fear of adverse health effects due to lactose deficiency.
What foods contain lactose?
Lactose is found mainly in milk and dairy products such as cow's milk, goat's milk, yogurt, cheese and ice cream. It can also be an ingredient in foods and beverages like bread, cereal, lunchmeats, salad dressings and mixes for baked goods.
Is lactose a good sugar?
The natural sugars in milk fuel your body and brain, but some affect your blood sugar more than others. The lactose in breast and dairy milk is especially beneficial for infants and young children.
What is lactose used for?
Lactose is widely used as a filler or filler-binder in the manufacture of pharmaceutical tablets and capsules. The general properties of lactose that contribute to its popularity as an excipient are its: 1 cost effectiveness; 2 availability; 3 bland taste; 4 low hygroscopicity; 5 compatibility with active ingredients and other excipients; 6 excellent physical and chemical stability; and 7 water solubility
Where does lactose come from?
All commercial lactose is obtained from the milk of cows as a by-product of the dairy industry. Chemically, lactose is the disaccharide of the simple sugars D-galactose and D-glucose (Figure 1). In other words, the lactose molecule comprises one molecule of D-galactose chemically linked to one molecule of D-glucose.
How is anhydrous lactose made?
Anhydrous lactose for direct compression is usually produced by drying a lactose solution on the surface of a heated drum. This results in a product composed of agglomerated small crystals of anhydrous b-lactose, with some anhydrous a-lactose present. The anhydrous product has excellent compactability and high solubility due to its high b-lactose content. Tables 1 through 4 are examples of direct compression tablet formulations that use a highly compactable lactose powder composed of agglomerated micro-crystals of anhydrous beta-lactose and stable anhydrous alpha-lactose as a filler-binder.
What is pharmaceutical grade lactose?
Pharmaceutical-grade lactose is highly pure lactose specifically produced to meet the standards of identity and purity set down in the lactose monographs of the various pharmacopoeia, including the United States Pharmacopoeia/National Formulary (USP/NF). Lactose is widely used as a filler or diluent in tablets and capsules, ...
What is the most common form of lactose?
The most common form of lactose used in pharmaceutical formulation is crystalline a-lactose monohydrate. This form is available in a range of milled and sifted pharmaceutical grades differing in physical properties, such as flowability, bulk density, and particle size distribution (Figure 2). Lactose is also available in modified forms ...
How is particle size enlargement achieved?
In dry granulation, particle size enlargement is achieved by aggregating the powder particles under high pressure (ie, by compaction) then milling the compressed material to the desired size. Fines generated by milling are recycled back through the compactor. The compression step is typically carried out in a roller compactor in which the powder is compressed between two rollers.
Is lactose a filler?
Lactose is widely used as a filler or filler-binder in the manufacture of pharmaceutical tablets and capsules. The general properties of lactose that contribute to its popularity as an excipient are its: cost effectiveness; availability;
What is a diluent in medicine?
Diluents are fillers used to make up the volume of tablets if the tablet is inadequate to produce the volume. Diluents are used as disintegrants in the dispersible and orally disintegrating tablets.
Is lactose a bulking agent?
Lactose is a common bulking agent used in both tablet and capsule formulations as it fulfills most of the ideal characteristics of bulking agents.
Can birth control cause lactose intolerance?
Most medications do not contain enough lactose to cause lactose intolerance. But some patients with severe lactose intolerance may experience symptoms. Lactose can be found in birth control pills, and some OTC drugs to treat stomach acid or gas. [ 2] .
Is lactose a diluent?
It is also used to form a diluent powder for dry-powder inhalations. Lactose may be listed as lactose hydrous, lactose anhydrous, lactose monohydrate, or lactose spray-dried. [ 1] People who are lactose intolerant do not have the enzymes needed to digest lactose.
How much lactose can you digest?
Say one person can handle up to 10g of lactose and be fine. The other person can’t digest 2g. That is because the amount of lactase your body secretes is on a spectrum, it isn’t an on/off switch.
How does lactose intolerance affect the colon?
Unabsorbed lactose, upon reaching the colon, can be fermented by colonic flora, which produces gas, causing abdominal distension and discomfort. A lactose tolerance test has been developed based on the measurement of blood glucose level and the hydrogen level in the breath. However, its usefulness has been questioned as the test is based on a 50 g dose of lactose.
Is lactase genetic?
TL;DR Natural lactase production is genetic, but is not the only thing that determines lactos e tolerance. Illness, damage to the small intestines, and the composition of your gut bacteria can all affect your level of lactose tolerance.
Does lactose add to medication?
Lactose doesn’t add any benefit to the medication itself, but rather helps form the tablet that contains it.
Does your gut destroy enzymes?
Your gut also destroys some of the enzyme if there isn’t enough food in it.
Can lactose intolerant people have diarrhea?
Unless the medication’s intent is having a laxative or purgative effect, the lactose intolerant can do without the diarrhea. It becomes a real problem when the only formulation of a particular drug has lactose in it - and it descends into the ridiculous when anti-diarrhea medication is formulated with that particular sugar. That is the case with at least one version of over-the-counter loperamide (sold in the United states under the trade name Imodium) which I had the misfortune of taking while already enduring dehydration. It did not go well…
Why is lactose used in pill making?
A substance that is mostly tasteless but with just enough sweetness to balance out the bitter taste of many medications is great. That lactose can be formulated to break down in the stomach to release the medication makes it nearly ideal.
Why do food processors use lactose?
Food processors can add lactose (or whey, which is mostly lactose) to add taste and texture to foods without affecting the primary taste of the food. Best of all, lactose is made from whey, and whey is a waste product in the cheese-making process, so it’s really cheap. That’s why lactose is used so often in pill-making.
What is lactose in bread?
Lactose allows a bit of pleasant sweetness to be added to products, without overwhelming them with an overly-sweet taste. Commercial bakers can sprinkle lactose on the tops of bread and let it caramelize to a beautiful golden-brown.
How much lactose is in a pill?
Not as much as you might think. Only a tiny amount of lactose is present in any one pill. One study I read estimated that the average pill had 25 mg of lactose. You’d need to take 12,000 such pills to equal the lactose in an eight-ounce glass of milk at that rate.
How many medications contain lactose?
If you add in generics and over-the-counter drugs, you probably have thousands of medications that include lactose.
Does lactose help with bitterness?
A substance that is mostly tasteless but with just enough sweetness to balance out the bitter taste of many medications is great. That lactose can be formulated to break down in the stomach to release the medication makes it nearly ideal.
Can you take lactase with a pill?
Some people might still have symptoms from this tiny amount, especially if they have to take many such pills each day, as the elderly or those with serious illnesses must do. If you must take the medication, your doctor might suggest taking a lactase pill along with the medication to see if that helps.
Which type of cellulose exhibits bursting type disintegration pattern?
Lactose exhibits erosion type disintegration pattern whereas Microcrystalline Cellulose exhibits bursting type disintegration pattern. Both are combined to overcome the long DT of Lactose as well as to prevent the sticking and heap formation tendency in dissolution testing.
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Is Avicel lactose sensitive?
Avicel is lubricant sensitive while lactose is not. Adding lactose will mitigate this.
Does Avicel have a higher yield pressure than lactose?
Avicel has plastic fracture with low yield pressure while lactose has brittle fracture with higher yield pressure. This means at low compression pressure avicel gives stronger tablets as compared to lactose. Combination of both excipients will reduce the slope of tablet hardness vs compression graph. This will mitigate the sensitivity of tablet compression pressure on tablet hardness and hence dissolution.
Does lactose cause bone drying?
From shelf life aspect, bone drying phenomena of Lactose causes retardation of dissolution and disintegration with composition having Lactose as a major diluent and can be solved and balanced with Microcrystalline Cellulose.
Can you use lactose in granulation?
In Dry granulation process (Slugging / Roller Compaction), multiple compaction cycle is not possible with only Lactose in formula and must be augmented with Microcrystalline Cellulose to achieve densification, flow and compressibility.
Is lactose granulated without wetting?
In Wet granulation process, fluid uptake is minimal for Lactose whereas higher for Microcrystalline Cellulose. For effective granulation without local wetting and for achieving homogenous binder distribution, Lactose and Microcrystalline Cellulose were combined.
