Oral Liquid Delivery
Frequently Asked Questions

What types of products can be formulated into oral delivery products?

Oral delivery formats are becoming increasingly popular in nutraceutical, dietary, food, and the VMS categories. These categories cover a host of product applications for oral OTC products such as antiseptics, sore throat, oral care, CBD (Cannabidiol), analgesics/pain management, and smoking cessation. VMS and dietary products are not left out, as oral delivery is regularly used to deliver dietary supplements (turmeric/curcumin), immune support (Vitamin B12/Vitamin C/Vitamin D) products, minerals (iron, calcium, magnesium), probiotics, sleep & stress (melatonin) products, as well as Vitamins (B/B12/K). Aptar Pharma’s oral delivery systems are ideally suited for delivering a growing range of oral products with added benefits to consumers.

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What advantages do oral liquid drug delivery products potentially offer?

Oral delivery systems provide a number of advantages to the consumer and product company alike. Consumers may find oral spray or dropper products more convenient than other formats as they don’t require water to administer. Oral liquid spray pumps or dispensers are available in compact sizes making them ideal for on-the-go use, and can be are carried discretely in pockets or in purses. Aptar Pharma’s oral delivery systems including spray pumps, droppers or dispensers, provide pharmaceutical level accuracy and precision of dosing for enhanced reliability. Oral sublingual or buccal administration can provide a faster route for uptake of some ingredients as compared to conventional ingested formats such as oral tablets which are subject to delays inherent to GI absorption limitations. Aptar Pharma’s liquid oral delivery systems for VMS come with Child-Resistant Senior-Friendly (CRSF) options. Our Child-Resistant packaging improves safety as it protects children from accidental access to the contents. Conversely, Aptar Pharma’s Senior-Friendly solutions make the packaged product more accessible and easier to use for seniors with less-than-optimal manual dexterity. In addition to offering these benefits to its consumers, product companies can differentiate their product as part of lifecycle management (LCM) programs that extend the life of more mature products.

What features and benefits do oral delivery systems offer?

Aptar Pharma’s oral delivery systems offer a range of benefits to patients and consumers. Oral sprays, drops, or gels can be easily administered to patients, even to those without the ability to swallow such as the elderly, infants and toddlers. As oral delivery solutions do not require the patient to have access to drinkable water, this format results in enhanced portability in a compact, on-the-go package. Aptar Pharma’s oral delivery systems are designed to pharmaceutical standards, capable of delivering precise dosing with reliability. These easy-to-use formats can be self-administered and provide a clean and hygienic dosing solution for a range of liquid and semi-solid formulations across many indications. Oral liquid spray products that are designed for absorption via the oral mucosa can provide faster uptake and potentially faster symptom relief than other non-invasive conventional dosage forms. With an array of fill volumes, actuator types, and dosing volume options, Aptar Pharma’s oral delivery systems can meet the needs of today’s oral liquid and semi-solid product requirements.

Can oral delivery be used for cannabidiol (CBD) based products?

One of the most common delivery routes for CBD based products is oral. This can be a non-invasive, simple to administer route that contributes to faster uptake directly into the bloodstream of the molecule. Many CBD products are formulated in an oil that can be absorbed directly, through the sublingual mucosa, located under the tongue, which bypasses first pass metabolism of the GI tract. Oral liquid delivery can help support higher bioavailability of CBD products at 12% to 35% achieved via the sublingual route, as compared to only 9% to 13% bioavailability by conventional oral solid administration[i].  CBD products can also be delivered via oral sprays. Aptar Pharma oral delivery systems can precisely dispense oil-based drops or liquid sprays in a range of viscosities from a delivery system that also offers product protection. Our compact and portable liquid and oil dropper, as well as Airless+ semi-solid/viscous dispensing systems, make Aptar Pharma well positioned to meet the needs of today’s CBD based products.

[i] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10572536/#B33-ijms-24-14514

Can Aptar Pharma provide regulatory support for their oral liquid delivery systems when used for OTC or food/dietary applications?

Yes. Aptar Pharma supplies advanced drug delivery technology and support services for a range of oral liquid delivery products used in OTC or Food/Dietary Supplement market applications. We are long-established experts in the field and provide comprehensive customer care, quality, and technical support to our customers globally. Our support includes regulatory documentation in the form of a Declaration of Compliance (DoC) for food applications per current EU regulations. Aptar Pharma also helps OTC and food/dietary product companies to implement our spray pumps and dispensers on their production lines with on-site technical support and extensive quality documentation. Aptar Pharma is well positioned to support oral liquid delivery products from the world’s leading OTC and food/dietary companies.