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Aptar Pharma offers advanced oral liquid delivery systems, including oral sprays, oral droppers and oral gel dispensers, that are ideal for Over the Counter (OTC), Vitamin, Mineral and Supplement (VMS) and consumer market products. Capable of delivering a wide range of product types and viscosities, Aptar Pharma’s liquid oral delivery systems can provide differentiated products with enhanced reliability, precision and convenience for consumers globally. Please review the frequently asked questions about Aptar Pharma’s oral liquid delivery systems to see if they are the right solution for your next OTC, VMS or nutraceutical product.

Learn more about Aptar Pharma’s Oral Liquid Delivery Systems

White plastic VP6 or Classic line oral dispensing system with range of fixed or swiveling cannula actuators.

What are some examples of oral liquid delivery formats?

Oral liquid products can come in a variety of delivery systems including oral sprays, oral droppers, and oral gel dispensers. Our oral delivery systems offer a range of abilities to deliver different viscosities, optimized for each formulation. Each format can provide benefits such as portability, product protection, as well as accurate or defined dosing depending on the product’s requirements. Aptar Pharma offers a full range of advanced oral delivery systems including oral liquid spray, dropper, or gel dispensing systems that can meet the needs of today’s oral delivery products.

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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.

Watch our latest webinar “Breaking New Grounds in Nutritional Supplements”

Infant, toddler, adult man and woman use oral liquid dispensers for topical, ingested and sublingual/buccal administration.

Can oral liquid products be used for local or systemic treatments?

Oral liquid products can be used to treat both local and systemic applications. For example, oral liquid topical formulations can be used to treat the mouth or throat locally, with oral antiseptic, topical analgesic, or oral disinfectant formulations. For systemic applications, liquid, gel, or syrup products can be ingested orally for absorption via the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Common examples include cold & flu, analgesic, digestive aid, and VMS products, which can all deliver a variety of health benefits. Systemic oral products can also be formulated for sublingual or buccal delivery, whereby products are absorbed under the tongue or on the inside of the cheeks. This approach can provide the benefit of faster product uptake in some cases, by avoiding slower intestinal GI uptake.

Aptar Pharma oral spray delivery provides convenience, portability and dosing accuracy in a CRSF system with faster uptake.

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.

A young girl in bed receiving oral dosing of liquid spray, drop or gel product from oral spray or dropper system from Aptar.

Which drug delivery technologies are available to administer oral liquids?

Aptar Pharma offers a comprehensive range of high-quality liquid spray pump, dropper and semi-solid/gel dispensing systems.

  • Aptar Pharma’s VP6 pump dispensing systems provide precise oral dosing with choice of fixed or swiveling cannula, topical and dropper actuators suitable for sublingual, buccal or oral spray applications.
  • Our Airless+ dispensing systems provide strong semi-solid/gel product protection from air and light for oral products with convenient, on-the-go performance, composed of medical grade resins.
  • The APFPLUS oral spray systems provide advanced preservative-free formulation administration with 360-degree functionality, ideal for topical, buccal and sublingual oral spray applications.
  • Aptar Pharma’s Classic Line pump system has topical, dropper and gel actuator options suitable for delivering a wide range of dosing volumes for orally administered formulations.

Aptar Pharma’s range of oral liquid dispensing technology solutions come with decades of experience in supporting customers’ oral product development and commercialization journey.

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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.

Aptar Pharma's futurity platform includes circularity, EcoDesign tools, mass balance and recyclability ratings symbols graphics.

How does Aptar Pharma incorporate sustainability into their oral liquid delivery systems?

Sustainability is a critical consideration in Aptar Pharma’s strategic business initiatives. All new Aptar Pharma products, including liquid delivery systems, utilize our proprietary EcoDesign tool that helps us to maximize their sustainability throughout their lifecycle. The analysis can lead to designs with enhanced recyclability properties or improved circularity benefits. Aptar Pharma also helps to achieve plastic reduction objectives through the application of multi-dose delivery systems, as opposed to single use systems, where possible. For example, our VP6 multi-dose oral spray pump system and our Airless+ product range are manufactured at International Sustainability Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS certified production sites that use a fully documented and traceable mass balance approach along the entire supply chain. This traceability allows for the use of renewable or bio-based feedstocks in the VP6 and Airless+ systems, resulting in enhanced circularity. In addition, our Airless+ dispensers achieved an excellent recyclability rating of 96% to 98% or “Class AAA” qualification from Institute cyclos-HTP, a leading independent recyclability certification organization. The company strives to continually enhance the sustainability of its products and operations through strategic initiatives globally.

Oral liquid spray bottle showing immune, dietary, probiotic, sleep, CBD, mineral, & vitamin applications.

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.

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

Dermal Drug-Device Combination products

How can Aptar Pharma support my development of an oral liquid or semi-solid product?

In additional to manufacturing and supplying a range of advanced oral delivery systems to companies around the world, we also back our oral delivery systems with years of regulatory knowledge and support including filing ready documentation and data. We have established a network of qualified external Contract Manufacturing and Development Organizations (CDMOs) with the proven capability to fill and finish a host of Aptar Pharma’s technology systems, making manufacturing easier for customers at any volume. We can help customers to identify the right CDMO partner for their project and support them with the specialized knowledge needed to bring their concept to patients faster.

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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.

Square text graphic with black block text MARKET REFERENCES OF ORAL C&C PRODUCTS AND VMS PRODUCTS.

Are oral liquid formats growing in popularity with consumers and patients?

Oral liquid spray delivery is increasing in popularity. The global oral spray market is projected to reach US $482.5 million in 2026, growing at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 1.6% between 2019 and 2026. Demand for better overall health and wellness in society has helped to build growth for oral spray products, particularly those containing Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements (VMS). In addition, the portability and ease of use contribute to the consumer’s appreciation of oral liquid delivery’s convenience and reliability.

[i] https://www.businessresearchinsights.com/market-reports/oral-spray-market-111807

Oral Liquid Dispensing Delivery Route

With one of the largest selections of oral liquid dispensing systems in the industry, Aptar Pharma has continued to advance oral spray pump, dropper, and dispenser technology. Our oral liquid dispensing solutions are supported with specialized oral delivery product development services, reliable clinical and commercial supply and comprehensive regulatory documentation and expertise that can help bring products to market faster. No matter the stage of development or commercialization, Aptar Pharma can serve as a reliable supply partner supported with unique expertise for oral liquid dispensing products.

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