Title: suppositories
Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - suppositories
DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.15238
Status: current

Definition
Dosage form, semi-solid, used for the administration of drugs via the rectal route, for systemic or local effect. When application is via other routes (e.g., the vaginal route), suppositories are termed differently, inserts, pessaries, etc.

Notes
1) The vehicles used in suppositories are of two types, i.e., fatty bases and water-soluble ones.
2) An important requirement for suppositories is a melting point (or disintegration/dissolution) at around \(\pu{{36}{-}{37} ^{\circ}C}\) so as to discharge the drug in the rectum.

Related Terms
- Dosage form: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/15175
- administration: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/15143
- local: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/15239
- vaginal route: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/15151

Source
- PAC, 2009, 81, 971. 'Glossary of terms related to pharmaceutics (IUPAC Recommendations 2009)' on page 996 (https://doi.org/10.1351/PAC-REC-04-10-14)

Other Outputs
- html: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/15238/html
- json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/15238/json
- xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/15238/xml

Citation: Citation: 'suppositories' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. 10.1351/goldbook.15238
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Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.
Accessed: 2026-06-27T15:41:23+00:00