What effect does enteric coating have on a tablet?

Enteric coating serves a specific purpose in pharmaceutical formulations, which is to protect the tablet from stomach acid. This coating is designed to remain intact in the acidic environment of the stomach but dissolve in the more neutral pH of the intestine. This allows for a couple of important benefits: it prevents the drug from being degraded by stomach acid, and it helps ensure that the medication is released where it can be better absorbed in the intestine, which may be necessary for the drug’s efficacy.

The other options do not accurately reflect the role of enteric coatings. While absorption speed is an important concern for many medications, enteric coatings do not inherently increase this speed but rather modify where and how the medication is released in the digestive system. Taste masking is not the primary function of enteric coatings since their main role is related to the stability of the drug in the gastrointestinal tract. Lastly, enteric coatings do not imply instant dissolution; instead, they are designed to dissolve at a specific site, ensuring that the medication reaches the right part of the gastrointestinal tract without being compromised.