PREPARATION OF OINTMENTS

Selection of The Appropriate Base

• Selection of the base to use in the formulation of an
ointment depends on careful assessment of a number of
factors, including the following:

* Desired release rate of the drug from the ointment base

* Desirability of topical or percutaneous drug absorption
* Desirability of occlusion of moisture from the skin
* Stability of the drug in the ointment base
* Effect, if any, of the drug on the consistency or other
features of the ointment base
* Desire for a base easily removed by washing with water
* Characteristics of the surface to which it is applied
 Selection of The Appropriate
Base
• For example, an ointment is generally applied to
dry, scaly skin; a cream is applied to weeping or
oozing surfaces, and a lotion is applied to
intertriginous areas or where friction may occur, as
between the thighs or under the armpit.
 PREPARATION OF OINTMENTS

• Ointments are prepared by two general methods:

• (a) incorporation
• (b) fusion,

• Depending primarily on the nature of the

ingredients.
 (a) Incorporation
• The components are mixed until a uniform preparation
is attained.
• On a small scale, as in extemporaneous compounding,
the pharmacist may mix the components using a mortar
and pestle, or a spatula may be used to rub the
ingredients together on an ointment slab (a large glass or
porcelain plate or pill tile).
• Others will use an ointment mill
ointment mill
• Incorporation of Solids.
• When preparing an ointment by spatulation, the
pharmacist works the ointment with a stainless steel
spatula having a long, broad blade and periodically
removes the accumulation of ointment on the large
spatula with a smaller one.

• If the components of an ointment react with metal

(as does iodine), hard rubber spatulas may be used.
• The ointment is prepared by thoroughly rubbing and
working the components together on the hard surface
until the product is smooth and uniform.

• The ointment base is placed on one side of the working

surface and the powdered components, previously
reduced to fine powders and thoroughly blended in a
mortar, on the other side.

• A small portion of the powder is mixed with a portion of

the base until uniform.

• Geometric dilution is continued until all portions of the

powder and base are combined and thoroughly and
uniformly blended.
• It often is desirable to reduce the particle size of a
powder or crystalline material before incorporation
into the ointment base so the final product will not
be gritty.

• This may be done by levitating (suspended by a

physical force ) , or mixing the solid material in a
vehicle in which it is insoluble to make a smooth
dispersion.
• The levigating agent:
• mineral oil for bases in which oils are the external
phase
• glycerin for bases in which water is the external
phase

• The levigating agent should be:

• physically and chemically compatible with the drug
and base.
• about equal in volume to the solid material.
 (a) Incorporation

• A mortar and pestle are used for levigation.

• This allows both reduction of particle size and
dispersion of the substance in the vehicle.

• After levigation, the dispersion is incorporated into

the ointment base by spatulation or with the mortar
and pestle until the product is uniform.
 (a) Incorporation

• Solids soluble in a common solvent that will affect

neither the stability of the drug nor the efficacy of
the product may first be dissolved in that solvent
(e.g., water or alcohol)

• the solution is then added to the ointment base by

spatulation or in a mortar and pestle.

• mortar and pestle method is preferred when large

volumes of liquid are added, because the liquid is
more captive than on an ointment slab.
• For incorporating a gummy material, such as camphor,
pulverization by intervention can be used.

• The material is dissolved in a solvent and spread out on

the pill tile.

• The solvent is allowed to evaporate, leaving a thin film

of the material onto which the other ingredient or
ingredients are spread.

• The material is then worked into the ingredients by

trituration with a spatula. (continuous rubbing or
grinding of the powder )
 Pulverization by Intervention

• is used with hard crystalline powders that do not

crush or triturate easily, or gummy-type substances.
• The first step is to use an "intervening" solvent
(such as alcohol or acetone) that will dissolve the
compound.
• The dissolved powder is then mixed in a mortar or
spread on an ointment slab to enhance the
evaporation of the solvent.
• As the solvent evaporates, the powder will
recrystallize out of solution as fine particles.
 (a) Incorporation

• Incorporation of Liquids.
• Liquid substances or solutions of drugs, as
described above, are added to an ointment only
after due consideration of an ointment base’s
capacity to accept the volume required.

• For example, only very small amounts of an

aqueous solution may be incorporated into an
oleaginous ointment, whereas hydrophilic ointment
bases readily accept aqueous solutions.
 (a) Incorporation

• When it is necessary to add an aqueous preparation

to a hydrophobic base, the solution first may be
incorporated into a minimum amount of a
hydrophilic base and then that mixture added to the
hydrophobic base.

• However, all bases, even if hydrophilic, have their

limits to retain liquids, beyond which they become
too soft or semiliquid.
• Alcoholic solutions of small volume may be added
easily to oleaginous vehicles or emulsion bases.

• Natural balsams (resin rich in essential oil) , such as

Peru balsam, are usually mixed with an equal
portion of castor oil before incorporation into a base.

• This reduces the surface tension of the balsam and

allows even distribution of the balsam throughout
the base.
 (a) Incorporation
• Ointment or roller mills can be used to force
coarsely formed ointments through stainless steel or
ceramic rollers to produce ointments uniform in
composition and smooth in texture.
 (b) Fusion
• By the fusion method, all or some of the components of
an ointment are combined by being melted together and
cooled with constant stirring until congealed.

• Components not melted are added to the congealing

mixture as it is being cooled and stirred.

• Naturally, heat-labile substances and any volatile

components are added last, when the temperature of the
mixture is low enough not to cause decomposition or
volatilization of the components.
• Substances may be added to the congealing mixture as
solutions or as insoluble powders levigated with a
portion of the base.

• On a small scale, fusion may be conducted in a porcelain

dish or glass beaker.

• On a large scale, it is carried out in large steam-jacketed

kettles.

• Once congealed, the ointment may be passed through an

ointment mill (in large-scale manufacture) or rubbed
with a spatula or in a mortar to ensure a uniform texture.
large steam-jacketed kettles
• Medicated ointments and ointment bases containing
components such as beeswax, paraffin, stearyl alcohol,
and high-molecular-weight PEGs, which do not lend
themselves well to mixture by incorporation, are
prepared by fusion.

• By this general process, the materials with the highest

melting points are heated to the lowest required
temperature to produce a melt.

• The additional materials are added with constant

stirring during cooling of the melt until the mixture is
congealed.

• In this way, not all of the components are subjected to

the highest temperature.
• Alternative methods involve melting the
component with the lowest melting point first and
adding the remaining components in order of their
melting points or simply melting all of the
components together under slowly increasing
temperature.

• By these methods, a lower temperature is usually

sufficient to achieve fusion because of the solvent
action exerted by the first melted components on
the others.
preparation of ointments having an emulsion base
• In preparation of ointments having an emulsion base,
the method of manufacture often involves both
melting and emulsification.

• The water-immiscible components such as the oil and

waxes are melted together in a steam bath to about
70°C to 75°C.

• Meantime, an aqueous solution of the heat-stable,

water-soluble components is prepared and heated to
the same temperature as the oleaginous components.

• Then the aqueous solution is slowly added, with

mechanical stirring, to the melted oleaginous mixture.
• The temperature is maintained for 5 to 10 minutes
and the mixture is slowly cooled and stirred until
congealed.

• If the aqueous solution is not at the same

temperature as the oleaginous melt, some of the
waxes will solidify on addition of the colder
aqueous solution to the melted mixture.
 PACKAGING, STORAGE,
AND LABELING

• Ointments and other semisolid preparations are

packaged either in large-mouth ointment jars or in metal
or plastic tubes.

• Semisolid preparations must be stored in well-closed

containers to protect against contamination and in a cool
place to protect against product separation in heat.

• Light-sensitive preparations are packaged in opaque or

light-resistant containers.
• In addition to the usual labeling requirements for
pharmaceutical products, the USP directs the labeling
for certain ointments and creams include the type of
base used (e.g., water soluble or water insoluble).