Enteric coating is designed to do which of the following?

Enteric coating is designed to do which of the following?

• A. Coating to ensure rapid release in the stomach
• B. Improve taste masking
• C. Prevent reaching colon
• D. Coating so it can survive stomach acid and reach the colon

Answer: (D)

Enteric coating uses acid-resistant polymers to keep a drug from dissolving in the acidic stomach and to dissolve once it reaches the higher pH environment of the small intestine (and potentially the colon). The purpose is twofold: protect the drug from gastric degradation and protect the stomach from irritation by certain drugs, rather than releasing immediately in the stomach. This is why the best description is that the coating allows the dosage form to survive stomach acid and reach the intestinal tract for release. The other ideas don’t fit as well: rapid release in the stomach defeats the purpose of the coating, taste masking is a possible but secondary effect, and preventing the dosage form from reaching the colon is opposite to its goal of releasing in the intestinal tract.

Enteric coating uses acid-resistant polymers to keep a drug from dissolving in the acidic stomach and to dissolve once it reaches the higher pH environment of the small intestine (and potentially the colon). The purpose is twofold: protect the drug from gastric degradation and protect the stomach from irritation by certain drugs, rather than releasing immediately in the stomach. This is why the best description is that the coating allows the dosage form to survive stomach acid and reach the intestinal tract for release. The other ideas don’t fit as well: rapid release in the stomach defeats the purpose of the coating, taste masking is a possible but secondary effect, and preventing the dosage form from reaching the colon is opposite to its goal of releasing in the intestinal tract.