Hypromellose (HPMC) capsules were originally formulated with a secondary gelling agent. This agent can delay dissolution in some circumstances and lead to unwanted issues during product development. This whitepaper discusses the rationale for developing Capsugel’s Vcaps® Plus capsules without a gelling agent. It describes how these capsules – now in use at many major pharmaceutical companies to encapsulate their existing over-the-counter [OTC] products and New Chemical Entities [NCEs] – can optimize product performance and improve product stability, as well as reduce development timelines.