Elongated, divisible tablet

Details Elongated, divisible tablet Elongated, divisible tablet

1995-03-01

1996-10-08

Page, Thurman K.

Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions

Preparations characterized by special physical form

Tablets, lozenges, or pills

D24102, D24101, D24103, A61K 920

Patent

active

055629202

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention concerns an elongated, divisible tablet especially for pharmaceutical applications which, when the underside of the tablet is rested on a flat support, touches the support with two zones protruding from both ends of the underside of the tablet but not the intervening zone. The underside of the tablet and the upper side of the tablet are defined as stated in W.A. Ritschel "Die Tablette" Editio Cantor KG, page 58, 1966.
In the development of solid pharmaceutical agents a search is made for forms of administration which can be manufactured particularly economically such as e.g. small round tablets. However, in practical use round tablets are found to have several disadvantages. The main problem, particularly for older persons, is the divisibility of such tablets. In many cases half the dosage is required in the initial phase of treatment (so-called "low initial" dose). The division is difficult because the breaking crevice is very fine and is easily overlooked or the patients do not know exactly how to divide the tablet. The result is two fragments of different sizes or even many small fragments. In addition one needs both hands for the division. In the case of older persons especially they additionally have particular difficulties in picking up small and light tablets from a support. It may therefore be the case that the patient asks the doctor for a form of administration which is easier to handle. These disadvantages are only negligibly less when the tablet has an oblong shape instead of a round shape.
There have been no lack of attempts at solving the problem of divisibility for example by using small apparatuses such as mini-guillotines. Such apparatuses are commercially available. However, the operation is complicated and the device must in each case be matched to the diameter of the tablet. A so-called kinked tablet was also developed. It has an angle shape--i.e. it is asymmetric--and therefore does not remain in the desired position on a support. Two hands are necessary to divide the kinked tablet. An additional disadvantage of this tablet is that it cannot be blister-packed on packaging machines. A small mechanical load leads to breakage of the tablet. A further embodiment of a divisible tablet is the Tiltab.RTM. sold by the SKB Company which can be easily picked up from a support. This is the case because when this tablet is placed on a support it always stands up on one side due to its geometry. Due to its length (14 mm) and its oval shape, the tablet is relatively easy to divide. However, the oval shape especially is a great disadvantage on a packaging machine because an oval tablet can get wedged on the feeding rails. Moreover, the manufacture of the compression tools is complicated and expensive.
In addition tablets are known which are shaped so that their middle zone is thinner than two opposite end zones positioned on a straight line running through the middle zone and preferably have a breaking crevice through their middle zone which is perpendicular to the said straight line. When the tablet is halved the said end zones of the tablet lie on the support while the middle zone is spaced from the support. The tablet is divided into two halves by lever action by pressing a finger on its middle zone towards the support.
Such a tablet which preferably has a round shape is described in EP 0 207 888. The round shape is in fact advantageous with regard to processing in particular during pressing and when providing a coating. However, round tablets are inferior to elongated tablets with regard to their divisibility since much force has to be used for bisecting because the lever arm is relatively short and the fracture surface is relatively large. An elongated tablet of this type in which the tablets rest on the support during division with a line vertical to the line connecting the ends or with a narrow surface, is described in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,494. Due to the shape of the zones on which the tablet rests on the support, the tablet has an almost rectangular shape. Another elongated

REFERENCES:
patent: D210371 (1968-03-01), Kroninger et al.
patent: D331279 (1992-11-01), Tovex

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