Galenics - manufacture of pharmaceuticals

and Martina Feichter, medical editor and biologist and Ingrid Müller, chemist, medical journalist

Martina Feichter studied biology with an elective subject pharmacy in Innsbruck and also immersed herself in the world of medicinal plants. From there it was not far to other medical topics that still captivate her to this day. She trained as a journalist at the Axel Springer Academy in Hamburg and has been working for since 2007 - first as an editor and since 2012 as a freelance writer.

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Ingrid Müller is a chemist and medical journalist. She was editor-in-chief of for twelve years. Since March 2014 she has been working as a freelance journalist and author for, among others, Focus Gesundheit, the health portal ellviva.de, the publishing house living crossmedia and the health channel of rtv.de.

More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.

The task of galenics is to turn an active ingredient into a finished drug. Because acetylsalicylic acid, cortisone, urea and many other drugs must first be processed into tablets, ointments, infusion solutions or another dosage form before they can be used. Galenics is a sub-area of ​​pharmacy. The name goes back to the Greek doctor and naturalist Galenus von Pergamon (also Galenius or Galen).

In addition to the pure production of pharmaceuticals, other tasks also fall under the responsibility of the galenical experts: These scientists also deal with the effectiveness, toxicity, tolerability and safety of a preparation. On the one hand, this takes place via drug tests before a drug is approved in study phases I, II and III. On the other hand, the use of the drug after its approval is also monitored with regard to effects and side effects. You can find out more about this testing and monitoring of a drug in the article drug approval.

Galenics - definition: Galenics is the science of the preparation and shaping of drugs from active ingredients and auxiliary substances, including their technological testing.

Finding the right "packaging"

Galenics takes care of bringing the active ingredient into the correct "packaging" (dosage form) with suitable auxiliaries (see below). This can be, for example, tablets, coated tablets, capsules, powders, solutions or active ingredient patches.

The galenic packaging - i.e. dosage form - then determines the form in which the active ingredient is administered (applied). Common forms of application of drugs are, for example:

• Oral (perorally): by mouth (by swallowing, e.g. tablet, medicinal juice)
• sublingual: under the tongue (e.g. tablet, which then dissolves under the tongue)
• rectal: in the rectum (e.g. suppository)
• nasal: via the nose (e.g. nasal spray)
• cutaneous: on the skin (e.g. ointment, cream)
• subcutaneous: under the skin (syringe)
• transdermal: through the skin into the blood (e.g. drug patch)
• intramuscular: into a muscle (syringe)
• intravenous: into a vein (syringe or infusion)
• pulmonary: into the deeper airways (e.g. inhalation)

When administered via the mouth (e.g. orally, sublingually) or rectum (rectal), the active ingredient reaches the gastrointestinal tract and is absorbed there. That is why one speaks here in summary of enteral forms of application (enteral = relating to the intestines or the intestines).

The counterpart are parenteral forms of administration: Here the active ingredient reaches the body by bypassing the gastrointestinal tract, i.e. it is administered intravenously, subcutaneously or pulmonarily, for example.

Onset of action and tolerance

Which dosage and application form are best suited for a drug depends, among other things, on where and how quickly the active ingredient is to be released. Some examples:

• A sublingual tablet ensures that the active ingredient is absorbed into the blood through the oral mucosa. In this way you can give a strong pain reliever that is supposed to take effect quickly.
• Injections can also be used to achieve a faster onset of action, for example painkillers. As with a sublingual tablet, the active ingredient reaches the bloodstream much faster than if it had to take the detour via the gastrointestinal tract (e.g. normal painkillers to swallow).
• Gastric juice-resistant tablets are provided with a coating that ensures that the preparation passes through the stomach undamaged and that the active ingredient is only released in the intestine. This may be necessary if the acidic gastric juice would attack the active ingredient and render it ineffective.
• Retard preparations are designed in such a way that they release the active substance more slowly (e.g. prolonged release painkillers). This enables a constant level of active ingredient in the blood over a longer period of time. Retard preparations that are not used orally, subcutaneously or intramuscularly (e.g. nicotine patches, three-month injections) are also called depot preparations.
• An active ingredient can be brought straight to its destination using inhalation, nasal spray or eye drops. Asthma medication, for example, can be inhaled. A nasal spray can help against a runny nose. Eye drops can be used to relieve dry eyes or - with the addition of antibiotics - bacterial eye infections.

The form of administration and administration can also have an influence on possible risks and side effects. For example, the above-mentioned gastric juice-resistant coating on some tablets can even be solely due to better tolerability: Some active ingredients irritate the gastric mucosa and can cause nausea and vomiting. Therefore, they should only be released in the intestine.

Auxiliary materials

In addition to one or more active ingredients, most drugs also contain auxiliary substances such as starch or gelatine. These themselves have no pharmaceutical effect, but rather serve as a filler, color or flavor, preservative, lubricant or as a stabilizer and carrier substance. The various auxiliaries thus ensure the correct shelf life, shelf life, a better smell or taste and also the correct appearance of the drug.

Auxiliary materials do not have to be fully indicated on the packaging. This can be problematic for people with a corresponding allergy (e.g. to a certain dye).

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