Soft capsules are produced in a single production step, filled and then closed off. The name soft capsule is used as the shell of the capsule contains plasticizers in addition to the gelatine. The actual degree of softness and elasticity depends on the type and amount of plasticizer used, the residual moistness and the thickness of the capsule shell. The soft capsule shells are generally somewhat thicker than hard capsule shells. Glycerol, sorbitol or a combination of both are common plasticizers. The manufacture of soft capsules is generally by the so-called rotary die process as invented by Robert Pauli Scherer at the end of the 1920s: here, two dyed highly elastic gelatine bands are fed through two counter-rotating drums in opposite directions. A film is formed, capsules are made and these are then filled with the pharmaceutical active ingredient provided.

A technological innovation in the area of pharmaceutical preparations is the gelatine-coated tablet or caplet. Here, in an immersion process, tablets are coated with a gelatine solution and then dried. This process enables the economical tablet manufacturing process to be coupled with the patient-friendly capsule. The companies of the GELITA Group are world leaders in the manufacture and supply of gelatine for all types of capsule.