Moisture barrier, immediate release
Polyvinyl alcohol
Also written as PVA.
Written by the Rglax Pharma technical team, who formulate and manufacture every grade named on this guide at our WHO-GMP works in Tahliwal, Una (drug manufacturing licence NNZ/23/238). Reviewed 3 September 2026. Licences and certificates.
What it is
PVA films are less permeable to water vapour than HPMC at the same thickness, which is what makes a moisture barrier a barrier. Our moisture barrier grades are fully formulated HPMC and PVA based immediate release systems, so the protection does not come at the cost of release.
What it does in the film
PVA films are less permeable to water vapour than HPMC at the same thickness. That single property is what turns a cosmetic coat into a barrier, and it is why a moisture barrier grade is judged on stability data rather than on gloss.
When to choose it
Where the product passes release but drifts on stability. Multivitamins, ferrous salts and the Amoxycillin with Clavulanate combination are the recurring cases in our range.
How it runs on the coater
Film coating band. The barrier protects the tablet inside the pack rather than repairing moisture already absorbed, so plan the stage so coated tablets reach blistering without a long open hold.
- Role
- Moisture barrier, immediate release
- Also called
- PVA
- Grades on this base
- 4
- Systems
- Moisture barrier
- Made at
- Plot No. 30, Industrial Area Tahliwal, Himachal Pradesh, India
Grades built on polyvinyl alcohol
What each grade on this base is for, and the actives it was formulated against. The process parameters are on each grade page.
Moisture barrier for Amoxycillin and Clavulanate
Solvent base extra white barrier film for the most moisture sensitive combination.
Moisture barrier film coat on a solvent base, extra white, developed for Amoxycillin and Clavulanate potassium tablets. Water ingress during and after coating drives degradation in that combination, and this grade is built to hold it out.
- Base ·
- Non-aqueous (solvent)
- Finish ·
- Extra white, moisture barrier
- Formulated against ·
- Amoxycillin and Clavulanate potassium
Extra white film coat for plain Amoxycillin
Solvent base extra white film for plain Amoxycillin and dissolution critical tablets.
Solvent base extra white film coat for plain Amoxycillin tablets and other products where dissolution has to be protected while the core is covered to a high opacity.
- Base ·
- Non-aqueous (solvent)
- Finish ·
- Extra white
- Formulated against ·
- Amoxycillin
Moisture barrier for multivitamin and ferrous tablets
Solvent base barrier film for hygroscopic multivitamin and iron formulations.
Solvent base moisture barrier film coat for Multivitamin and Ferrous group tablets. It protects the core from moisture pick-up and from the colour change that follows it on shelf.
- Base ·
- Non-aqueous (solvent)
- Finish ·
- Colour or white, moisture barrier
- Formulated against ·
- Multivitamins, Ferrous group
Moisture barrier for special category tablets
Solvent base barrier film for products outside the standard range.
Moisture barrier film coat on a solvent base for special category tablets whose stability profile is not covered by the CVS, PA or MB grades. It is formulated against the specific core on request.
- Base ·
- Non-aqueous (solvent)
- Finish ·
- Moisture barrier
Read next
- HPMC vs PVA based tablet coatingThe two immediate release film formers. One is the default, the other is the moisture barrier.
- Moisture Barrier CoatingHPMC and PVA based immediate release systems that protect against light, moisture and environmental gases.
- Coating defects, and what causes themThe faults a film shows when the polymer is run outside its band, traced back to cause.
- Coating glossaryBuild-up, bed temperature, coalescence and the rest of the vocabulary this guide uses.
References
- FDA Inactive Ingredient Database
Maximum potency per dosage unit for each excipient in an approved US product.
- European Pharmacopoeia, EDQM
Excipient monographs, including the identity and purity tests a European buyer specifies against.
- USP-NF excipient monographs
The National Formulary monographs that US and Canadian specifications are written to.
- IPEC excipient GMP guide
The good manufacturing practice framework an excipient supplier is audited against.
Process bands quoted on this page are the ones our grades were developed on at Tahliwal. Confirm them on your own coater; a monograph describes the polymer, not your pan.
The other polymers
- Enteric, delayed releaseMethacrylic acid copolymermethacrylic base, acrylic enteric polymer
- Enteric, delayed releaseCellulose acetate phthalateCAP, CAP base
- Enteric, delayed releasePhthalate base polymerHPMC phthalate, phthalate enteric polymer
- Immediate release film, seal, sugar filmHypromelloseHPMC, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose
- Enteric and moisture barrier film, glazingShellaclac resin, pharmaceutical glaze, E904
Films built on this polymer
Metallic gold film coat
Metallic blue DB3012
Aqueous colour film coat
Extra white film coat