Pushing the Innovation of Tablet Coating Systems Forward

The exact date of the invention of tablet coating is still debated, but historians can trace it as far back as the ninth century B.C. in Egypt. Records on old papyrus tell the story of Egyptian medical practitioners of the time using bread, honey, or grease to make medicine easier to consume for their patients. The recipe has changed, but the principle remains roughly the same today. Tablet coatings are applied to make medicine easier to consume or to ensure the dosage is delivered at the right time during digestion.   

In ancient Greece, there are even records of people using coating techniques with gold and silver. This technique proved to be impractical because the dosage would pass through the digestive tract without releasing any of the medicine. They did not have enteric coating back then.     

Other historical references linked the first use of sugar coating on tablets to William Warner in 1856. He was a pharmacist in Philadelphia who invented a process to apply a sugar coating onto medicines for patients. This coating was less about protecting the drug or delayed-release and more about making it easier for the patient to swallow. Certain medications can come with an unpleasant taste due to their ingredients, and this coating makes treatment more tolerable for the end user.    

We’ve Continued to Make Innovations in

Conventional Coating

All of these earlier steps, along with the trial and error of the Egyptians and the Greeks, ultimately led to the coating equipment of today. We’ve been able to develop and deliver tablet coating systems that offer time-saving efficiency and quality-assured uniformity because we’re standing on the shoulders of those who came before us.

And we’re not done yet. Thomas Processing has earned a reputation for never saying no to a new challenge. Even though we’ve raised the level of tablet coating performance across the industry, we believe we can do more, and we’re dedicated to always improving for our customers.