from Hacker News

Ask HN: Why do some medicines come as pills and others as capsules?

by litoE on 12/29/24, 7:57 PM with 8 comments

  • by throwup238 on 12/30/24, 12:52 AM

    Capsules are more expensive and can’t be easily split by patients so pills are generally preferred by manufacturers. Reasons to use capsules:

      - they protect the medicine better from light and moisture and oxygen than tablets
  - powder in capsules dissolves faster, more evenly and thus the dose can be frontloaded instead of spread out
  - beads in capsules can be coated to control dosage rates or deliver one medication before another. I.e. if the active drug irritates the stomach a coating can counteract that or keep it from dissolving until it reaches the intestines. Extended release medications usually use these coatings to slow down absorption
  - capsules can carry multiple physically separated chemicals that are too reactive to be allowed to touch
  - the binders in the pill interfere with the medication
  - capsules can mask the taste better

  • by codingdave on 12/29/24, 8:22 PM

    Different speeds of action, different densities of medicine, shelf lives, etc. Form follows function and all that.

  • by atmosx on 12/31/24, 5:37 PM

    There are many factors that go into that decision.

    First and foremost is the way to deliver the _active substance_. Can be immediate (pills are not the best for immediate delivery), delayed (most common) or extended release (e.g. the AS gets released in doses over a period of time).

    Capsules IIRC can only deliver immediately but AS on capsules has faster absorption compared to pills.

    Cost is another factor: AFAIK pills are usually cheaper - although I don't work at the industry so don't quote on me on this.

    So it's the way you want to be delivered, characteristics of the AS, cost, etc.

    source: I have a 5-year degree (EU) in Pharmaceutical Sciences.

  • by 486sx33 on 12/30/24, 2:37 AM

    Sometimes half a pill comes in a capsule!

  • by readyplayernull on 12/30/24, 8:11 PM

    If you look closely the content of a capsule is lots of tiny pills...