Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), a high-performance pharmaceutical excipient, plays a vital role in modern pharmaceutics due to its excellent biocompatibility, chemical stability, and multifunctional properties. It is polymerized from N-vinylpyrrolidone monomers, typically appearing as a white powder, readily soluble in water and various organic solvents, and exhibiting no significant toxicity or irritation. It has been included in pharmacopoeias worldwide and is a commonly used excipient in various dosage forms, including tablets, capsules, injections, and topical preparations, playing a crucial role in drug preparation, stability enhancement, and efficacy optimization.

In solid dosage forms, one of PVP's core functions is as a binder, supporting the molding of tablets and capsules. During tablet production, when PVP aqueous or alcoholic solutions are mixed with drug powder, its molecules bind tightly to the powder particles through hydrogen bonding, forming a soft mass with good flowability and compressibility. After compression, this improves tablet hardness and abrasion resistance, reducing quality problems such as cracking and disintegration. Compared to traditional binders, PVP requires less dosage and has moderate binding strength, avoiding excessive inhibition of tablet disintegration and dissolution in the body. It ensures formulation shape retention while facilitating normal drug release and absorption, making it suitable for pharmaceutical formulations with specific dissolution requirements. In capsule filling, PVP can also improve the flowability and bulk density of the drug powder, making the filling process smoother and helping to ensure accurate and uniform capsule weight.

As a solubilizer and co-solvent, PVP helps solve the solubility problem of poorly soluble drugs, improving drug bioavailability. Many drugs are difficult to absorb in the body due to poor water solubility, affecting their efficacy. The amide groups in PVP molecules can form stable complexes or inclusion complexes with drug molecules, reducing drug crystallinity and increasing their solubility and dissolution rate in water. This effect is particularly important in dosage forms such as oral solutions, injections, and pellets. For example, in some antibiotic and antitumor drug injections, the addition of PVP can improve drug solubility and reduce safety risks such as vascular embolism caused by drug precipitation. In oral suspensions, PVP can also reduce drug particle sedimentation, maintain the homogeneity of the formulation, and ensure accurate dosage each time.

PVP is also a commonly used stabilizer, dispersant, and coating material in pharmaceutical preparations, providing multiple safeguards for drug storage and use. As a stabilizer, it can adsorb onto the surface of drug particles, forming a protective film that reduces drug degradation due to oxidation, light, or temperature changes, thus extending the shelf life of the formulation. In dispersion systems, PVP can reduce the agglomeration force between drug particles, resulting in uniform particle dispersion and contributing to improved formulation stability and consistent drug efficacy. In coating processes, PVP is often used in combination with other materials to form a smooth, dense coating layer. This layer serves to protect the drug from external environmental influences by preventing moisture, light, and air penetration. It also improves the appearance and taste of tablets, masking bitterness or unpleasant odors and enhancing patient compliance. Furthermore, in sustained-release formulations, PVP can regulate the permeability of the coating layer to achieve slow drug release, helping to maintain stable blood drug concentrations.

In topical formulations, PVP's biocompatibility and mildness are well utilized. In eye drops and ophthalmic gels, it acts as a suspending agent and humectant, increasing viscosity, prolonging drug residence time in the eye, improving ocular absorption, and reducing irritation to the ocular mucosa. In ointments, creams, and other topical skin preparations, PVP acts as a film-forming agent, moisturizer, and penetration enhancer, helping the drug adhere better to the skin surface and be absorbed more easily, without causing skin allergies or discomfort. From solid to liquid dosage forms, from oral to topical applications, PVP, with its multifunctional and safe properties, has become one of the most widely used excipients in pharmaceutics. It provides strong support for the research and development and production of drug formulations, and lays an important foundation for improving drug efficacy and patient experience.

PENGFEI is a company dedicated to the research, production, and sales of 2-pyrrolidone (2-P), N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP), and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)