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I recently saw that some brands of Telmisartan, Amlodipine and Hydrochlorothiazide tablets are bilayered and some are not?

On Googling I found this

Bilayered tablet technology separates two incompatible substances in which one layer is immediate release as a loading dose, and the second layer is controlled/sustained release as a maintenance dose. Two incompatible drugs can also be formulated into a bilayer tablet by adding an inert intermediate layer.

Also this where it says that both telmisartan and amlodipine are instantly released. But then it uses two different methods for it. Why?

A bilayer tablet comprises a first layer formulated for instant release of the angiotensin II receptor antagonist telmisartan from a dissolving tablet matrix and a second layer formulated for instant release of the calcium channel blocker amlodipine from a disintegrating or eroding tablet matrix.

But none of the above mentioned drugs are incompatible with each other. Moreover all of them are often used once per day.

So I don't see the rationale of using a bilayer for incompatibility or controlled release.

Why is this being done by some brands?

Bilayered tablets
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Non Bilayered tablets

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  • Where does the quote come from? You need to add a link to quotes you add to questions.
    – Carey Gregory ♦
    Commented Jun 9, 2021 at 18:57
  • @CareyGregory ok, I'll edit it
    – user20181
    Commented Jun 10, 2021 at 6:44
  • 1
    @CareyGregory done
    – user20181
    Commented Jun 10, 2021 at 6:45
  • I think your source simply used a poor choice of language. "Incompatible" isn't the word whoever wrote that was looking for. I suspect simply "different" would be the correct word.
    – Carey Gregory ♦
    Commented Jun 11, 2021 at 1:17
  • @CareyGregory yes but then why are most of these tablets bilayered as opposed to siimply mixed.
    – user20181
    Commented Jun 11, 2021 at 7:01

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There are good reasons why some drugs are bilayered. A company could decide to produce a bilayered drug formulation for the same drug if it's necessary to produce a formulation in which the drug in one of the layers is released instantly while the drug in the second layer is released gradually to produce prolonged effect, sustained release. This helps to reduce the frequency of administeration. By reducing the frequency of administeration a drug that is administered every 8 hours can be administered every 24 hours or so. This enhances Patient compliance. Two compatible/incompatible drugs can be made Into a bilayered formulation. Clinical experience has shown that patient compliance can be improved by reducing the quantity of drugs that is administered. Instead of taking two or three different tablets to treat certain disease condition/conditions, one formulation containing the whole drugs can be taken. Also some disorders, such as hypertension, are better managed using a combination of drugs that act through different mechanisms. The rationale behind this is beyond the scope of this question.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344267062_Bilayer_tablets_A_developing_novel_drug_delivery_system

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