Enteric, delayed release
Cellulose acetate phthalate
Also written as CAP, CAP base.
What it is
CAP is the older of the enteric polymers and is still named in many filings. Where your dossier specifies a CAP film, the methacrylic route is not a substitution you can make without a change control, which is why we hold a CAP grade for the same actives.
What it does in the film
CAP is an ester that stays intact in acid and hydrolyses as pH rises. The result is the same gastro resistance as a methacrylic film, reached by a different chemistry.
When to choose it
When your dossier names CAP. That is the honest answer. Switching a filed product from CAP to a methacrylic film is a change control with data behind it, not a substitution, which is why we hold a CAP grade for the same actives rather than asking customers to reformulate.
How it runs on the coater
Applied from solvent on the enteric band. Because CAP is more moisture sensitive than the methacrylic alternatives, the coated tablet benefits from moving to packing without a long open hold.
- Role
- Enteric, delayed release
- Also called
- CAP, CAP base
- Grades on this base
- 1
Grades built on cellulose acetate phthalate
The other polymers
- Enteric, delayed releaseMethacrylic acid copolymermethacrylic base, acrylic enteric polymer
- Enteric, delayed releasePhthalate base polymerHPMC phthalate, phthalate enteric polymer
- Immediate release film, seal, sugar filmHypromelloseHPMC, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose
- Moisture barrier, immediate releasePolyvinyl alcoholPVA