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This Editorial Guide is used for Education Purposes Only. It is used in the Authoring Courses and Certifications. It is based on the January 2026 Editorial Guide.
Pharmaceutical dose form grouper concepts that do not include a basic dose form but are deemed to be clinically useful and that can be sufficiently defined will be included in the 736542009 |Pharmaceutical dose form (dose form)| hierarchy.
Grouper concepts concepts that do not include a basic dose form shall be modeled using the proximal primitive modeling pattern.
Semantic tag
(dose form)
For concepts with 736472000 |Has dose form administration method (attribute)| = 738996007 |Spray (administration method)|, use the following pattern for the FSN; align naming and case sensitivity with the FSN for the concept that is selected as the attribute value. For multiple intended sites, the intended sites must be in alphabetical order and separated by the word “and”.
<Dose form release characteristic> <Dose form intended site FSN> <Dose form administration method> (dose form)
For example,
Conventional release cutaneous spray (dose form)
Conventional release nasal spray (dose form)
Conventional release sublingual spray (dose form)
For concepts representing drops with 736472000 |Has dose form administration method (attribute)| = 738994005 |Instill (administration method)|, use the following pattern for the FSN; align naming and case sensitivity with the FSN for the concept that is selected as the attribute value. For multiple intended sites, the intended sites must be in alphabetical order and separated by the word “and”.
<Dose form release characteristic> <Dose form intended site FSN> <Dose form administration method> (dose form)
For example,
Conventional release nasal drops (dose form)
Prolonged-release eye drops (dose form)
For concepts representing drug delivery systems, use the following pattern for the FSN; align naming and case sensitivity with the FSN for the concept that is selected as the attribute value. For multiple intended sites, the intended sites must be in alphabetical order and separated by the word “and”.
<Dose form release characteristic> <Dose form intended site FSN> drug delivery system
For example,
Prolonged-release intrauterine drug delivery system (dose form)
Prolonged-release transdermal drug delivery system (dose form)
For concepts with 736472000 |Has dose form administration method (attribute)| = 738996007 |Spray (administration method)|, use the following pattern for the PT; align naming and case sensitivity with the PT for the concept that is selected as the attribute value. For multiple intended sites, the intended sites must be in alphabetical order and separated by the word “and”. Exclude <Dose form release characteristic> when = 736849007 |Conventional release (release characteristic)|.
<Dose form release characteristic> <Dose form intended site FSN> <Dose form administration method>
For example,
Cutaneous spray
Nasal spray
Sublingual spray
For concepts representing drops with 736472000 |Has dose form administration method (attribute)| = 738994005 |Instill (administration method)|, use the following pattern for the PT; align naming and case sensitivity with the PT for the concept that is selected as the attribute value. For multiple intended sites, the intended sites must be in alphabetical order and separated by the word “and”. Exclude <Dose form release characteristic> when = 736849007 |Conventional release (release characteristic)|.
<Dose form release characteristic> <Dose form intended site FSN> <Dose form administration method>
For example,
Nasal drops
Prolonged-release eye drops
For concepts representing drug delivery systems, use the following pattern for the PT; align naming and case sensitivity with the PT for the concept that is selected as the attribute value. For multiple intended sites, the intended sites must be in alphabetical order and separated by the word “and”. Exclude <Dose form release characteristic> when = 736849007 |Conventional release (release characteristic)|.
<Dose form release characteristic> <Dose form intended site FSN> drug delivery system
For example,
Prolonged-release intrauterine drug delivery system (dose form)
Prolonged-release transdermal drug delivery system (dose form)
A synonym matching the FSN is required; additional synonyms are not allowed unless explicitly identified as an exception in the Editorial Guidelines.
Exceptions:
Synonyms with eye instead of ocular, ear instead of otic, or nose instead of nasal may be created.
Optional
Definition status
Defined
Exception:
Grouper concepts representing drug delivery systems will have a definition status of Primitive
Attribute:
Has dose form release characteristic
Range: << 736480007
Attribute:
Has dose form intended site
Range: << 736479009
Attribute:
Has dose form administration method
Range: << 736665006
This Editorial Guide is used for Education Purposes Only. It is used in the Authoring Courses and Certifications. It is based on the January 2026 Editorial Guide.
736477006 |Dose form transformation (transformation)| represents a process where a dose form is transformed from that supplied by the manufacturer into a new dose form, usually to make it suitable for administration (e.g. dissolving a "powder for solution for injection" dose form into a "solution for injection" dose form). This may occur as part of the dispensing act or immediately before administration.
|Dose form transformation (transformation)| is a descendant of 362981000 |Qualifier value (qualifier value) that supports fully defining the 736542009 |Pharmaceutical dose form (dose form)| hierarchy. |Dose form transformation (transformation)| is used to model the |Pharmaceutical dose form (dose form)| hierarchy; they are not used to model the 763158003 |Medicinal product (product)| hierarchy.
Parent concept
Use the following pattern for the FSN where X is the transformation:
X (transformation)
For example,
Dissolve (transformation)
Disperse (transformation)
No transformation (transformation)
Disperse or dissolve (transformation)
Use the following pattern for the PT where X is the transformation:
X
For example,
Dissolve
Disperse
No transformation
Disperse or dissolve
Synonyms are not allowed unless explicitly identified as an exception in the Editorial Guidelines.
Preferred; not required.
This Editorial Guide is used for Education Purposes Only. It is used in the Authoring Courses and Certifications. It is based on the January 2026 Editorial Guide.
The dose form administration method represents a general type of method of administration (e.g. apply, chew, spray, swallow) that a dose form is designed to be administered by (e.g. a chewable tablet is formulated to be administered by chewing). To support fully defining concepts in the 736542009 |Pharmaceutical dose form (dose form)| hierarchy, a hierarchy representing dose form administration method is required.
Concepts in the 736665006 |Dose form administration method (administration method)| hierarchy will be used to model concepts in the 736542009 |Pharmaceutical dose form (dose form)| hierarchy; they will not be used to model concepts in the 763158003 |Medicinal product (product)| hierarchy.
The 736665006 |Dose form administration method (administration method)| hierarchy is a descendant of 362981000 |Qualifier value (qualifier value)|.
Use the following pattern for the FSN where X is the administration method and is in the form of an imperative:
X (administration method)
For example,
Administer (administration method)
Apply (administration method)
Instill (administration method)
Spray (administration method)
Use the following pattern for the PT where X is the administration method:
X
For example,
Administer
Apply
Instill
Spray
Synonyms are not allowed unless explicitly identified as an exception in the Editorial Guidelines.
Preferred; not required.
Parent concept
736665006 |Dose form administration method (administration method)
Semantic tag
(administration method)
Definition status
Defined
Attributes
None
<<736477006 |Dose form transformation (transformation)|
Semantic tag
(transformation)
Definition status
Primitive
Attributes
None
This Editorial Guide is used for Education Purposes Only. It is used in the Authoring Courses and Certifications. It is based on the January 2026 Editorial Guide.
The 736542009 |Pharmaceutical dose form (dose form)| subhierarchy of 362981000 |Qualifier value (qualifier value)| contains concepts which support the Medicinal product model.
Editorial guidelines for the supporting hierarchies required to support creation of sufficiently defined pharmaceutical dose form concepts are documented in the following sections.
This Editorial Guide is used for Education Purposes Only. It is used in the Authoring Courses and Certifications. It is based on the January 2026 Editorial Guide.
Pharmaceutical dose form grouper concepts based on intended site of use for the dose form that are deemed to be clinically useful, or which provide a helpful organizing grouper, and that can be sufficiently defined, may be included in the 736542009 |Pharmaceutical dose form (dose form)| hierarchy.
These concepts are used in modeling (medicinal product form) concepts in the International Release; they are not allowed to model (clinical drug) concepts in the International Release.
Pharmaceutical dose form grouper concepts based on intended site shall be modeled using the proximal primitive modeling pattern.
Use the following pattern for the FSN; align naming and case sensitivity with the FSN for the concept that is selected as the attribute value. For multiple intended sites, the intended sites must be in alphabetical order and separated by the word “and”.
<Dose form intended site FSN> dose form (dose form)
<Dose form intended site FSN> and <Dose form intended site FSN> dose form (dose form)
For example,
Conventional release cutaneous dose form (dose form)
Conventional release oral dose form (dose form)
Conventional release parenteral dose form (dose form)
Conventional release ear and eye and nose drops (dose form)
Use the following pattern for the PT; align naming and case sensitivity with the PT for the concept that is selected as the attribute value. For multiple intended sites, the intended sites must be in alphabetical order and separated by the word “and”.
<Dose form intended site PT> dose form (dose form)
<Dose form intended site PT> and <Dose form intended site PT> dose form (dose form)
For example,
Cutaneous dose form
Oral dose form
Parenteral dose form
Ear and eye and nose drops
Synonyms are not allowed unless explicitly identified as an exception in the Editorial Guidelines.
Optional
This Editorial Guide is used for Education Purposes Only. It is used in the Authoring Courses and Certifications. It is based on the January 2026 Editorial Guide.
Pharmaceutical dose form concepts (e.g. conventional release oral tablet, prolonged-release oral capsule) that are deemed to be clinically useful and that can be sufficiently defined will be included in the 736542009 |Pharmaceutical dose form (dose form)| hierarchy. Primitive concepts may be included if documented as an exception.
Lyophilized dose forms are out of scope for the international edition of SNOMED CT.
This Editorial Guide is used for Education Purposes Only. It is used in the Authoring Courses and Certifications. It is based on the January 2026 Editorial Guide.
736479009 |Dose form intended site (intended site)| represents a general type of site of administration (e.g. cutaneous, nasal, oral, parenteral). This subhierarchy is a descendant of 362981000 |Qualifier value (qualifier value)| that supports fully defining the 736542009 |Pharmaceutical dose form (dose form)| hierarchy. |Dose form intended site (intended site)| is used to model concepts in the |Pharmaceutical dose form (dose form)| hierarchy; they are not used to model 763158003 |Medicinal product (product)|.
|Dose form intended site| should not be confused with route of administration , which is a concept used in dosage instructions for the administration of a particular medicinal product to a particular patient.
Conventional release ear and eye drops (dose form)
Parent concept
736542009 |Pharmaceutical dose form (dose form)
Semantic tag
(dose form)
Definition status
Defined
Attribute:
Has dose form intended site
Range: << 736479009
Definition status
Defined
Exceptions:
The following referenced in concepts cannot be sufficiently defined. They are modeled with a parent of 736542009 |Pharmaceutical dose form (dose form) with all applicable attributes and have a Definition status of Primitive.
coated
Attribute:
Has basic dose form
Range: <736478001 |Basic dose form (basic dose form)|
Cardinality: 0..1
While the allowed range is broader, concepts representing a sufficiently defined pharmaceutical dose form should have one and only one |Has basic dose form| attribute.
Attribute:
Has dose form intended site
Range: <736479009 |Dose form intended site (intended site)|
Cardinality: 0..*
While the allowed range is broader, concepts representing a sufficiently defined pharmaceutical dose form should have one or more |Has dose form intended site| attributes.
Exceptions:
785898006 |Conventional release solution for irrigation (dose form)|
Attribute:
Has dose form release characteristic
Range: <736480007 |Dose form release characteristic (release characteristic)|
Cardinality: 0..1
While the allowed range is broader, concepts representing a sufficiently defined pharmaceutical dose form should have one and only one |Has dose form release characteristic| attribute.
Attribute:
Has dose form administration method
Range: <736665006 |Dose form administration method (administration method)|
Cardinality: 0..*
While the allowed range is broader, concepts representing a sufficiently defined pharmaceutical dose form should have one and only one |Has dose form administration method| attribute.
Attribute:
Has dose form transformation
Range: <736477006 |Dose form transformation (transformation)|
Cardinality: 0..*
While the allowed range is broader, concepts representing a sufficiently defined pharmaceutical dose form should have one and only one |Has dose form transformation| attribute.
Use the following pattern for the FSN; align naming and case sensitivity with the FSN for the concepts that are selected as the attribute values, excluding the semantic tag. For multiple intended sites, the sites must be in alphabetical order and separated by the word “and”.
<Dose form release characteristic FSN> <Dose form intended site FSN> <Basic dose form> (dose form)
For example,
Conventional release oral capsule (dose form)
Conventional release oral suspension (dose form)
Prolonged-release oral capsule (dose form)
Conventional release and prolonged-release oral tablet (dose form)
Conventional release cutaneous cream (dose form)
Conventional release vaginal ointment (dose form)
Gastro-resistant oral suspension (dose form)
Use the following pattern for the PT; align naming and case sensitivity with the PT for the concepts that are selected as the attribute values, excluding the semantic tag. For multiple intended sites, the sites must be in alphabetical order and separated by the word “and”. Exclude <Dose form release characteristic> when = 736849007 |Conventional release (release characteristic)|.
<Dose form release characteristic FSN> <Dose form intended site FSN> <Basic dose form>
For example,
Oral capsule
Oral suspension
Prolonged-release oral capsule
Conventional release and prolonged-release oral tablet
Cutaneous cream
Vaginal ointment
Gastro-resistant oral suspension
A synonym matching the FSN is required; other synonyms are not allowed unless explicitly identified as an exception in the Editorial Guidelines.
Exceptions:
Synonyms with eye instead of ocular, ear instead of otic, or nose instead of nasal may be created.
Optional
Semantic tag
(dose form)
Semantic tag
(intended site)
Definition status
Primitive
Attributes
None
Use the following pattern for the FSN where X is the intended site:
X (intended site)
For example,
Oral (intended site)
Otic (intended site)
Parenteral (intended site)
Vaginal (intended site)
Use the following pattern for the PT where X is the intended site:
X
For example,
Oral
Otic
Parenteral
Vaginal
Synonyms are not allowed unless explicitly identified as an exception in the Editorial Guidelines.
Preferred; not required.
Parent concept
<<736479009 |Dose form intended site (intended site)
This Editorial Guide is used for Education Purposes Only. It is used in the Authoring Courses and Certifications. It is based on the January 2026 Editorial Guide.
The basic dose form represents a general type of pharmaceutical formulation (e.g. tablet, capsule, cream, ointment, solution, emulsion) used for medicinal products. To support fully defining concepts in the 736542009 |Pharmaceutical dose form (dose form)| hierarchy, a hierarchy representing basic dose form is required.
Concepts in the 736478001 |Basic dose form (basic dose form)| hierarchy will be used to model concepts in the 736542009 |Pharmaceutical dose form (dose form)| hierarchy; they will not be used to model concepts in the 763158003 |Medicinal product (product)| hierarchy.
The 736478001 |Basic dose form (basic dose form)|
This Editorial Guide is used for Education Purposes Only. It is used in the Authoring Courses and Certifications. It is based on the January 2026 Editorial Guide.
A Clinical Drug concept has a pharmaceutical dose form, the physical manifestation of a medicinal product that contains the active ingredient substance(s) and inactive ingredient substances that are intended for administration for the patient. The Clinical Drug concept in the international release is defined by its manufactured dose form, the dose form as the item is presented by the manufacturer into the supply chain. This may be the same as the administrable dose form, which is the dose form that can be given to the patient after any necessary transformation (such as dissolution or dispersion) has taken place, or it may be different. Examples of the relationship between manufactured and administrable dose forms and transformation are given below. Note that both manufactured dose forms and administrable dose forms are types of pharmaceutical dose form.
iontophoresis (e.g. 385113008 |Conventional release solution for iontophoresis (dose form)|)
nebulizer (e.g. 385198000 |Conventional release solution for nebulizer (dose form)|)
particle (421535006 |Gastro-resistant oral particles tablet (dose form)|)
pellet (e.g. 420767002 |Gastro-resistant oral pellets capsule (dose form)|)
syrup (e.g. 385033009 |Powder for conventional release oral syrup (dose form)|)
vapor
785910004 |Prolonged-release intralesional implant (dose form)|
362981000 |Qualifier value (qualifier value)|Descendants shall be modeled as follows.
Parent concept
736478001 |Basic dose form (basic dose form)
Semantic tag
(basic dose form)
Definition status
Primitive
Exceptions:
Grouper concepts based on state of matter shall have Defined definition status
Attribute:
Has state of matter (attribute)
Use the following pattern for the FSN; align naming and case sensitivity with the FSN for the concept that is selected as the attribute value, excluding the semantic tag.
Basic dose form with <State of matter> state of matter (basic dose form)
For example,
Basic dose form with liquid state of matter (basic dose form)
Basic dose form with solid state of matter (basic dose form)
Use the following pattern for the PT; align naming and case sensitivity with the PT for the concept that is selected as the attribute value.
<State of matter PT> state of matter
For example,
Liquid dose form
Solid dose form
A synonym to match the FSN is required.
Additional synonyms are not allowed unless explicitly identified as an exception in the Editorial Guidelines.
Preferred; not required.
Use the following pattern for the FSN where X is the basic dose form:
X (basic dose form)
For example,
Cream (basic dose form)
Gel (basic dose form)
Suppository (basic dose form)
Tablet (basic dose form)
Exceptions:
Plural form to be used for Granules (basic dose form)
Use the following pattern for the PT where X is the basic dose form:
X
For example,
Cream
Gel
Suppository
Tablet
Exceptions:
Plural form to be used for Granules
Synonyms are not allowed unless explicitly identified as an exception in the Editorial Guidelines.
Text definitions are not required but are encouraged.
conventional release oral tablet
conventional release oral tablet
none
tablet for conventional release oral solution (synonym "soluble oral tablet")
oral solution
dissolve
conventional release cutaneous cream
conventional release cutaneous cream
none
The exception to the principle of using the manufactured dose form to describe Clinical Drugs in the international release is for oral antimicrobial liquid products (solutions, suspensions) that are supplied by the manufacturer as powders but undergo dissolution or dispersion prior to dispensing for administration. The exception is because of the need to describe these products using a clinically relevant strength reflecting the concentration of the administered liquid.
Concept model will include attributes necessary to define the concepts to ensure consistent and reproducible modeling of concepts, whose use is primarily to describe or group concepts in the 763158003 | Medicinal product (product)| hierarchy.
Any requirement to align to external standards or registries will be explicitly documented.
Concept model will be compatible with the following ISO (International Organization for Standardization) IDMP (Identification of Medicinal Products) standards where appropriate:
ISO 11239 Health informatics, Data elements and structures for the unique identification and exchange of regulated information on pharmaceutical dose forms, units of presentation, routes of administration and packaging
ISO/TS 20440 Health informatics, Implementation guide for ISO 11239 data elements and structures for the unique identification and exchange of regulated information on pharmaceutical dose forms, units of presentation, routes of administration and packaging
Concepts in the 736542009 |Pharmaceutical dose form (dose form)| hierarchy:
shall be sufficiently defined using proximal primitive modeling methodology unless explicitly noted as an exception in the editorial guidelines,
is not intended to eliminate the need for a national extension.
Concepts representing combined pharmaceutical dose forms
single concepts describing the multiple dose forms found in kit products such as cream and pessary
two pharmaceutical dose forms are put together like powder and solvent for solution for injection
Concepts in pattern "x for y for z" (e.g. Powder for concentrate for dispersion for infusion)
Concepts representing proprietary dose forms
The 736542009 |Pharmaceutical dose form (dose form)| hierarchy is comprised of the types of concepts as shown in the table below. Detailed editorial guidelines for each distinct concept type, including required attributes and naming guidelines, are found in the sections that follow.
For the purposes of the following editorial guidelines, pharmaceutical dose form refers to the physical manifestation of a medicinal product that contains the active ingredient substance(s) and inactive ingredient substances that are intended for administration for the patient.
Grouper based on intended site
740596000
Grouper concept without basic dose form
385105007
Pharmaceutical dose form
The following definitions explain the differences between dose form intended site and route of administration:
736474004 |Has dose form intended site (attribute)|
Dose form intended site describes the general anatomic location that the dose form has been formulated for administration to or at. The intended site is not intended to describe a precise site or route of administration. For example, eye drops (prepared for ocular intended site) are subject to pharmacopoeial standards for pH and sterility.
410675002 |Route of administration (attribute)|
The route of administration is the path by which the product is taken into, or makes contact with, the body and is a property of the administration action. The route of administration of a medication is determined by the prescriber in their prescription dosage instructions for a particular patient.
736479009 |Dose form intended site (intended site)|
The set of values for dose form intended site that relate to characteristics associated with a pharmaceutical dose form and do not refer to a precise anatomic location.
284009009 |Route of administration value (qualifier value)|
The set of values for route of administration. For medicinal products, these values are associated with the action of administration.
Pharmaceutical dose forms with two or more intended sites will use 'and' in their terming and include all intended sites in the model. Representing combinations of intended sites as a conjunction ('and' in the description) will facilitate searching by end users. The concepts are logically modeled as conjunction.
Pharmaceutical dose forms with two or more administration methods is a less common requirement, thus requests for this type of dose form are reviewed on a case by case basis.
powder for prolonged-release suspension for injection
prolonged-release suspension for injection
disperse
385151008
Range: <736471007
This Editorial Guide is used for Education Purposes Only. It is used in the Authoring Courses and Certifications. It is based on the January 2026 Editorial Guide.
736480007 |Dose form release characteristic (release characteristic)| represents a general type of pattern of release (e.g. conventional, modified, delayed, prolonged) of the active ingredient substance(s) from the dose form.
|Dose form release characteristic (release characteristic)| is a descendant of 362981000 |Qualifier value (qualifier value) that supports fully defining the 736542009 |Pharmaceutical dose form (dose form)| hierarchy.
|Dose form release characteristic (release characteristic)| is used to model the 736542009 |Pharmaceutical dose form (dose form)| hierarchy; it is not used to model 763158003 |Medicinal product (product)|.
Use the following pattern for the FSN where X is the release characteristic, adding a hyphen when appropriate Combined release-characteristic concepts may be created to support modeling of concepts that display multiple release characteristics in a single formulation.
X (release characteristic)
For example,
Conventional release (release characteristic)
Delayed-release (release characteristic)
Prolonged-release (release characteristic)*
Modified-release (release characteristic)**
*Prolonged was selected rather than Extended because feedback was received that it is more clear to translate for non-English speaking users; existing national drug extensions appear to use one or the other of these terms.
**Modified-release is a grouper that is not allowed to be used to model an international clinical drug concept.
Use the following pattern for the PT where X is the release characteristic, adding a hyphen when appropriate:
X
For example,
Conventional release
Delayed-release
Prolonged-release
Modified-release
Synonyms are not allowed unless explicitly identified as an exception in the Editorial Guidelines.
Preferred; not required.
This Editorial Guide is used for Education Purposes Only. It is used in the Authoring Courses and Certifications. It is based on the January 2026 Editorial Guide.
736471007 |State of matter (state of matter)| represents a physical state of matter.
|State of matter (state of matter)| is a descendant of 362981000 |Qualifier value (qualifier value) that supports fully defining concepts in the 736542009 |Pharmaceutical dose form (dose form)| hierarchy. |State of matter (state of matter)| is used to model concepts in the 736478001 |Basic dose form (basic dose form)| hierarchy; they are not used to model the 736542009 |Pharmaceutical dose form (dose form)| or 763158003 |Medicinal product (product)| hierarchies.
Delayed-release and prolonged-release (release characteristic)
Parent concept
736480007 |Dose form release characteristic (release characteristic) or one or more descendants of 736480007 |Dose form release characteristic (release characteristic)
Semantic tag
(release characteristic)
Definition status
Primitive
Attributes
None
Use the following pattern for the FSN where X is the state of matter:
X (state of matter)
For example,
Gas (state of matter)
Liquid (state of matter)
Semi-solid (state of matter)
Solid (state of matter)
Use the following pattern for the PT where X is the state of matter:
X
For example,
Gas
Liquid
Semi-solid
Solid
Synonyms are not allowed unless explicitly identified as an exception in the Editorial Guidelines.
Preferred; not required.
Parent concept
736471007 |State of matter (state of matter)|
Semantic tag
(state of matter)
Definition status
Primitive
Attributes
None
