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Oral Vehicle Database

Last Review: September 2005

Select a vehicle by clicking on the name
Acacia Syrup Aromatic Elixir USP Aromatic Eriodictyon Syrup
Cherry Syrup Citric Acid Syrup Coca-Cola Syrup
Cocoa Syrup Compound Benzaldehyde Elixir NF Glycyrrhiza Elixir
Glycyrrhiza Syrup Hydriodic Acid Syrup Isoalcoholic Elixir, High
Isoalcoholic Elixir, Low Ora Blend® Flavored Suspending Vehicle Ora-Blend Sugar-free (SF) Flavored Suspending Vehi
Ora-Plus® Oral Suspending Vehicle Ora-Sweet Sugar-Free (SF) Syrup Vehicle® Ora-Sweet Syrup Vehicle®
Orange Flower Water Orange Syrup NF Peppermint Water NF
Raspberry Syrup Sarsaparilla Compound Syrup Sorbitol Solution USP
Sugar-free Suspension Structured Vehicle USP Suspension Structured Vehicle USP Syrpalta
SyrSpend SF Syrup NF Tolu Balsam Syrup NF
Vehicle for Oral Solution NF Vehicle for Oral Solution, Sugar Free NF Vehicle for Oral Suspension NF
Wild Cherry syrup Xanthan Gum Solution NF

Just a glance at a pharmacy shelf reveals the relatively small number of commercially available medications in oral liquid form. Mainly for stability reasons, but also because of economic motives, pharmaceutical companies tend to manufacture drugs in solid oral forms rather than liquid oral forms. Extemporaneous pharmacy compounding fills this gap and provides effective, personalized treatment for a patient in need of a medication that may not be commercially available.

The compounding of oral liquid formulations requires the pharmacist to choose an appropriate vehicle for the drug and the patient. For that, it is imperative that the pharmacist evaluate the drug's physicochemical characteristics. Then the vehicle's choice must meet drug compatibility and assure its stability in the liquid form. Also, the pharmacist must match the vehicle to the kind of patient being treated. Besides special populations and personal tastes for flavors, for instance, some patients are allergic or sensitive to a specific ingredient in a vehicle. By knowing the patient's tastes and medical history, the pharmacist is able to select an appropriate vehicle.

Oral liquid vehicles, which have solvent, suspending, and/or emulsifying properties, are used to dilute drugs to a suitable volume for proper dosing, to flavor a preparation for ease of administration, and to provide a stable and elegant preparation.

This database provides data to assist pharmacists in selecting an appropriate oral liquid vehicle. It provides information on various official (USP-NF) vehicles, nonofficial and commercial branded vehicles and lists their pH, alcohol content, main ingredients, and appropriate container for storage, synonyms and bibliographical references.