Seems they are film coated not, enteric coated.
What Is the Difference Between Enteric Coated and Film Coated Tablets?
Delayed release or enteric coated tablets are widely used to protect the gastric mucosa from irritating actives or to protect drugs sensitive to gastric fluids. Unlike immediate release film coated tablets, enteric coated tablets won’t dissolve in the acid of the stomach but will dissolve in the basic pH environment of the small intestine. Film coatings, on the other hand, are meant to dissolve upon swallowing and release the drug within a short period.
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Guess we could cram a bunch of pills into these:
Chat GPT says that Zydus is also only film coated, as is all rapamycin made in both India & the US. That includes Pfizer’s RAPAMUNE, this one I checked on the label, where Pfizer describes it as “sugar coated.”
Chat GPT offers the following speculation on why:
Stability in Stomach Acid May Be Adequate
- While rapamycin is sensitive to stomach acid, the formulation of the tablet itself might ensure that enough of the drug survives stomach acid to achieve therapeutic effects, even without an enteric coating.
- For approved medical uses (e.g., preventing organ transplant rejection), high doses of rapamycin are typically prescribed, and the slight degradation in the stomach may not significantly impact efficacy.
Clinical Usage vs. Longevity Context
- In medical settings (e.g., transplant patients), rapamycin doses are typically much higher (e.g., 2–5 mg/day or more). With such doses, the lack of an enteric coating may not affect the drug’s therapeutic levels significantly.
- For off-label use, such as in longevity studies, where doses are often much smaller (e.g., 1–2 mg/week), enteric coatings are preferred because even slight degradation in stomach acid might reduce efficacy.
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As it stands I take a mixture of Zydus and Biocon. I know from the glucose response and WBC that it is having the expected effects. Hence although I don’t have a serum rapamycin test result I am happy to simply adjust the number of pills input each time. I am currently close to taking another dose as my WBC has come stably above 2G, but there are still quite a few viruses around.
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What is your glucose response?
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#1395
Lol. Very enterprising of you!
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#1396
@John_Hemming Thank you for sharing this. We appreciate it!
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#1397
Thanks to those who shared here, i appreciate it! My first concern was that the Biocon rapa i just ordered that doesnt have the enteric coating was fake. I dont think that now and am so relieved. I DO think next time i will order the Zydus, just for peace of mind.
For my purposes i think the Biocon will be fine as i will be crushing it up to make toothpaste and then a skin cream. So it wont have to go thru the digestive tract. I feel much better now after reading everyone’s posts this morning so thank you very, very much. So glad i found this forum, love how kind and supportive everyone is here!
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This is going to take a while - many months - but I have a detailed plan to get to the bottom of this issue.
My plan starts with (1) first getting the sirolimus blood test late March early April, which will reflect a once weekly dose of 6mg of Biocon 1mg pills for at least two months duration. I will first take a test within 48-50 hours after taking the 6mg dose.
Next (2) I will purchase the enteric capsules ageless64 recommended on Amazon. I will then start gradually putting Biocon pills into the capsules - first week, my dose will be 5mg of Biocon without the enteric capsule and 1mg (single pill) in an enteric capsule, and then gradually escalate every subsequent week with 4mg w/o enteric capsule+2mg w/ enteric capsule, 3mg w/o+3mg /w, 2mg w/o+4mg w/, 1mg w/o+5 w/ and finally reach the point of having 6mg of Biocon pills all stuffed into the enteric capsules. All this while, I will of course monitor for any effects one way or another.
Once (3) I have done the full 6mg Biocon all in the enteric capsules, for a few weeks, I will then get another sirolimus blood test 48-50 hours after taking to match the timing as closely as possible with the first test, and then compare the reading I get from each test. This should isolate whatever the effect - if any - the enteric capsules will have on blood levels of rapamycin.
Of course, I will endeavor to match the conditions to be as similar as possible wrt. diet/exercise, drugs and supplements for both tests.
The only thing I’m not sure about, is that I seem to remember reading on this site somewhere that doubts were raised as to whether any of the supposedly enteric capsules sold on Amazon in fact are enteric, i.e. actually survive the stomach acid and move into the small intestine - as we know, claims by brands on Amazon must be looked at very carefully. YMMV.
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For those concerned about where your package is from India, I present a website I have been using. I find it quite impressive. It gives an almost real-time update, sometimes in just minutes. Below is an example of a current shipment from India. As long as this example is, it is only part of the tracking. It even gives flight numbers.
This site will give you the actual location even when other trackers, such as USPS Tracking, say the package is still in Mumbai.
It also tracks TEMU, Aliexpress, and a host of others. (If this website has been previously cited, I apologize)
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#1400
Very cool! I am a fan of Temu as well so may give this a try with my next order. Thanks!
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#1401
Does anyone have a website for Jagdish? Thanks!
He is one of the India Mart vendors. FWIW: He also told me in one of his early emails that he is a real pharmacist.
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#1403
Good to know! And thanks!
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#1404
@desertshores I just read thru jagdish’s website. At the bottom it says “no drug here is sold without a prescription”. Has that been your experience? Thanks!
That only applies to people who live in India. Exporting most drugs is OK.
Jagdish is a little bit pickier than most about what he exports.
He will export rapamycin, acarbose, and many of the drugs forum members are talking about.
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man_li
#1406
I asked dozens of sellers, his offer was the cheapest, payment can be made through WISE, the transaction has been successful made, recommended!
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A great price and good results! Thanks for sharing.
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#1409
If my peptide friends an I end up doing a group buy deal with Janoshik testing why not consider going in with us? Now that i feel a little more confident about buying from India I will make sure I am getting Zydus brand.You would be more than welcome to join. 
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