Final Processing
Once the capsules have been compounded and the capsule closed, the pharmacist
may want to "seal" the capsule. The best way is to use "locking" capsules, where
the body and cap lock together, making it very difficult to open the capsule
again. If using locking capsules, during the filling process the cap is not
completely closed onto the body in the weighing procedure to determine the weight
of powder in the capsule. The locking is done only one time and that is after
the capsule is correctly filled.
If locking capsules are not used, a seal can be made by touching the
outer edge of the body with a moist towel to soften the gelatin. Alternatively,
a cotton swab dipped in warm water can be rubbed around the inner edge of the
cap. When the cap is closed on the body, it is slightly twisted to form the
seal.
When compounding and sealing are complete, the capsules may need cleaning
to remove fingerprints, traces of body oils, or loss powder from the capsule.
Fingerprints and oils cannot be effectively cleaned from capsules so the best
way to prevent these problems is to wear gloves during the compounding process.
Any clinging powder can be removed by rolling the capsules between the folds
of a towel.
Another proposed cleaning method is to put the capsules in a container filled
with sodium bicarbonate, sugar, or sodium chloride, and gently roll the container.
Then the container contents can be poured into a ten-mesh sieve where the "cleaning
salt" will pass through the sieve.
Capsules should be visually inspected and checked for:
- Uniformity - check capsules for uniformity in appearance and color.
- extent of fill - check capsules for uniformity of extent of fill to ensure
that all capsules have been filled.
- locked - check capsules to ensure that they have all been tightly closed
and locked.