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Glossary

What is a delayed release capsule?

Written by the Full Measure editorial team, which sells supplements. Approved for publication by the Full Measure owners. Updated .

Drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed below. How we write these

Quick answer

A delayed release capsule or tablet is made so it does not release its contents promptly after you swallow it, but later, usually once it has passed the stomach. Enteric coated products are one kind of delayed release. It differs from extended release, which lets a dose out slowly over time.1,2,3

Key facts

  • FDA's list of dosage forms names delayed release capsules, tablets, granules and pellets as separate forms.4
  • A delayed release tablet is meant to resist stomach fluid and release in intestinal fluid, through a coating or a resistant matrix.2
  • Ready-made delayed release capsules use either polymers that dissolve only above a certain pH or gelling polymers that release the fill as the gel wears away.5
  • NIH notes that enteric coated potassium chloride tablets are absorbed less rapidly than liquid forms.6

Delayed, extended and conventional release

Release terms on labels1,2,3,7
Label termWhat it means
Delayed releaseReleased at a time other than promptly after swallowing, often after the stomach
Enteric coatedCovered with a coating that resists stomach acid; one way to delay release
Extended releaseReleased at a controlled, slower rate so doses can be taken less often
No release termConventional: releases its contents at a rate set mainly by the ingredients

Why a product might be delayed release

There are two usual reasons: to shield an ingredient that stomach acid or enzymes would break down, or to spare the stomach from an ingredient that irritates it. A 2019 review of enteric coating gives both, and adds that its effect on absorption is debated and can vary with stomach pH and with how fast the stomach empties.8

Live bacteria are one ingredient studied this way. In a 2023 laboratory test in simulated stomach acid, survival depended on both the capsule and the powder inside it: a capsule within a capsule plus a powder made with an acid-resistant polymer kept the loss of live bacteria within a tenfold drop, while a different powder lost more than a hundredfold.9

Reading the claim on a supplement

Delayed release describes how a product is built, not what it does for your health. A 2022 review found that some ready-to-fill acid-resistant capsules do not meet the drug standards for delayed release in disintegration and dissolution tests, so on a supplement the phrase describes the design and does not by itself show that the product passed those tests.5

Questions people ask

Is delayed release the same as extended release?

No. Delayed release holds the dose back until later, usually past the stomach, and then lets it out. Extended release lets the dose out at a controlled, slower rate so it can be taken less often.1,3

Is delayed release the same as enteric coated?

Enteric coating is one way to make a product delayed release. A capsule can also be delayed release because its shell is made of an acid-resistant or gelling polymer rather than coated.1,5

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Sources

  1. NCI Thesaurus, NCI Enterprise Vocabulary Services, National Institutes of Health. Delayed Release Capsule Dosage Form, code C42902. Opened 2026-10-07.
  2. NCI Thesaurus, NCI Enterprise Vocabulary Services, National Institutes of Health. Delayed Release Tablet Dosage Form, code C42905. Opened 2026-10-07.
  3. NCI Thesaurus, NCI Enterprise Vocabulary Services, National Institutes of Health. Extended Release Capsule Dosage Form, code C42916. Opened 2026-10-07.
  4. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Structured Product Labeling Resources: Dosage Forms. Content current as of February 3, 2022. Opened 2026-10-07.
  5. Franc A, Vetchý D, Fülöpová N. Commercially Available Enteric Empty Hard Capsules, Production Technology and Application. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2022;15(11):1398. Opened 2026-10-07.
  6. Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health. Potassium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated June 2, 2022. Opened 2026-10-07.
  7. NCI Thesaurus, NCI Enterprise Vocabulary Services, National Institutes of Health. Tablet Dosage Form, code C42998. Opened 2026-10-07.
  8. Maderuelo C, Lanao JM, Zarzuelo A. Enteric coating of oral solid dosage forms as a tool to improve drug bioavailability. Eur J Pharm Sci. 2019;138:105019. Opened 2026-10-07.
  9. Wang JL, Southard B, Jara MO, et al. Viability of Lactobacillus acidophilus in Thin-Film Freeze-Dried Powders Filled in Delayed-Release Vegetarian Capsules in a Simulated Gastric Fluid. AAPS PharmSciTech. 2023;24(7):193. Opened 2026-10-07.

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.