Pharmaceutical Tablet Quality with Terahertz Technology (Analytical and Pharma): A New Standard for Real-Time Inspection
Why Tablet Quality Matters in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
Ensuring consistent pharmaceutical tablet quality is critical – not just for regulatory compliance, but for safeguarding patient health and drug efficacy. Traditionally, tablet quality control has relied on batch-wise, destructive testing. This process is time consuming, delays feedback, and results in significant chemical and material waste.
A major gap in pharmaceutical production is the lack of inline quality assurance. Defects such as improper compaction, inconsistent thickness, internal voids, or poor coating uniformity can lead to ineffective drug delivery and financial loss for manufacturers and healthcare providers. Addressing this real-time quality control gap is essential to improve manufacturing efficiency, reduce waste, and strengthen brand trust.
Table 1
| Technique | Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
|
Optical Coherence Tomography |
Non-destructive, high-resolution |
Limited penetration depth, surface curvature influence |
|
Ultrasound Attenuation |
Non-destructive, suitable for various shapes |
Requires contact, limited by material properties |
|
X-ray Imaging |
Penetrates dense coatings, detailed images |
Requires radiation protection, typically used offline |
|
Microwave Reflectometry |
Rapid, suitable for online monitoring |
Accuracy affected by shape and roughness |
|
Raman Spectroscopy |
High chemical specificity, measures multiple layers |
Limited penetration, influenced by composition |
Table 1: Advantages and limitation of Existing tablet coating measurement techniques
Terahertz Technology: A Breakthrough in Inline Tablet Quality Control
Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) is revolutionizing the way pharmaceutical tablets are inspected. This non-destructive, high-speed inspection method allows manufacturers to analyze tablets inline during production—without halting the process or damaging the product.
Terahertz waves can penetrate deep into tablets, providing real-time, contactless measurement of critical parameters such as:
Tablet thickness
Porosity and internal density
Coating integrity
Layer-specific structure (for multilayer or coated tablets)
Unlike traditional techniques, THz technology offers comprehensive insights in a single scan—ensuring faster, more reliable, and repeatable quality checks.
How Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy Works
The core of this innovation lies in terahertz pulse reflection and transmission analysis. In a setup like TeraLumen’s proprietary reflection-based system, short bursts of THz energy are directed at the tablet, and the reflected and transmitted signals are captured.
This wave interaction reveals:
Tablet Thickness: Determined by the time delay between reflections from the top and bottom surfaces.
Porosity: Inferred from changes in the wave’s speed through the tablet, linked to its effective refractive index. More air gaps slow the wave, indicating lower density.
This single-shot analysis delivers accurate data on the tablet’s internal structure—noninvasively, instantly, and with high precision. It’s ideally suited for real-time quality assurance in high-throughput pharmaceutical production lines.
Fast & High
resolution Imaging
Real Time
Monitoring
Multi-Layer
Measuremnt
Depth
Penetration
Surface Density
Charecterization
Upto 3.5 THz
bandwidth
The table below provides a comparison of key metrics between Terahertz technology and existing measurement technologies.
| Technique | Terahertz Technology | Optical Coherence Tomography | Ultrasound Attenuation | X-ray Imaging |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Depth Penetration |
High |
Low |
Moderate |
High |
|
Non-destructive |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
Resolution |
High |
High |
Moderate |
High |
|
Real-Time Monitoring |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
|
Multi-Layer Measurement |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Conclusion: Toward Smarter, Safer Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
The shift from end-of-line testing to real-time, inline pharmaceutical tablet inspection is transforming quality control standards. Terahertz imaging technology plays a pivotal role in enabling this transition by providing fast, accurate, and non-destructive measurements of key tablet attributes like thickness and porosity.
By integrating terahertz systems in pharmaceutical manufacturing, companies can achieve:
Improved product consistency
Reduced waste and rework
Faster feedback and corrective actions
Enhanced patient safety
As the pharmaceutical industry moves toward smarter, data-driven production, terahertz-based tablet inspection is becoming a cornerstone for quality-centric, cost-effective, and compliant drug manufacturing.
