ABSTRACT
I. INTRODUCTION “Pills, until almost completely replaced by compressed tablets around the middle of this century, were the most widely used dosage form. By defini tion, they were small spherical or ovoid products incorporating a medicinal agent in a doughy matrix. The pill mass consisted of two parts: the active ingredient, and the excipient used to form the pill, giving it the proper con sistency and acting as a diluent.”
