Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Preparations characterized by special physical form – Food or edible as carrier for pharmaceutical
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-04
2001-07-10
Webman, Edward J. (Department: 1617)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Preparations characterized by special physical form
Food or edible as carrier for pharmaceutical
C514S927000, C424S404000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06258376
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to chewing gum compositions containing active ingredients. More particularly, this invention relates to producing chewing gums that contain compounds for treating ulcers and halitosis.
Chewing gum compositions, typically, include a water soluble bulk portion, a water insoluble chewing gum base portion and water insoluble flavoring agents. Also, chewing gum compositions can be formulated to provide the delivery of active agents. These active agents may be a variety of breath fresheners, or medicaments, such as laxatives, aspirin or nicotine. Delivering these medicaments through a chewing gum vehicle is desirable for people who have difficulty swallowing pills. Also, the bad taste of some of the agents may be disguised by stronger flavoring agents in the chewing gum, which may make gum a suitable vehicle for delivery of certain medicines. Moreover, some medicines may be absorbed directly into the bloodstream through the tissue lining the mouth, making the medicine more readily available than if absorbed through the gastrointestinal walls. Accordingly, many people can benefit from new discoveries of how to effectively deliver active ingredients through a chewing gum formulation.
Unfortunately, many active ingredients are not suitable for administration through a chewing gum for a variety of reasons. A chewing gum cannot be effective if it has unpleasant medicinal taste, causes discoloration in the user's mouth, or the active ingredient causes poor chewing characteristics. A chewing gum cannot be effective if the active ingredient is not readily released from the gum, and thus, not delivered either into the mouth or the stomach where it can be absorbed or act topically. For this reason, many active ingredients may be effectively delivered by chewable tablets, or swallowable tablets, but not by chewing gum.
Recent discoveries have associated bacterial infection in the causation of peptic ulcer disease. The bacterium found to be associated with peptic ulcers has been identified as
Helicobacter pylori
. Excessive gastric acidity and mental stress are no longer thought to be the major pathophysiological reasons for the occurrence of peptic ulcers. Thus, questions regarding the previously established paradigms of and approaches for ulcer treatment and healing processes have been raised.
Previously, ulcers were treated by suppressing secretion of acid in the stomach. H2-receptor blockers, such as cimetidine (Tagamet®) and Ranitidine (Zantac®), suppress acid secretion and have been used to treat and heal duodenal ulcers. However, these H2-receptor blockers do not eliminate the
Helicobacter pylori
bacteria (“
H. pylori
”). These drugs do not reverse the tendency for ulcers to form.
For many years bismuth compounds have been used in swallowable tablet form and liquid form for treating ulcers. The therapeutic efficacy of bismuth compounds such as colloidal bismuth subcitrate, CBS, (also known as tripotassium dicitrato bismuthate), in healing duodenal ulcers and lowering relapse rates is attributed to its specific anti-bacterial activity against
H. pylori
. However, using bismuth compounds alone,
H. pylori
eradication rates of about 10 to 40% has been reported. Also, patients would suffer a relapse of ulcers after discontinuing taking the bismuth compounds.
Even though, as a single agent, CBS is significantly more effective in eradicating
H. pylori
than many other antibiotics, multiple therapies of bismuth compounds combined with other antibiotics have been reported to result in more than a 95% eradication rate for
H. pylori
and reduced ulcer relapse rate to less than 10% during a twelve-month follow-up period. For example, one such common triple therapy, comprised of CBS, amoxicillin and metronidazole, has been reported to have a high rate of effectiveness. However, it would be desirable to achieve such effectiveness in eradicating
H. pylori
with simple single agent therapies. No such single agent heretofore has been shown to be effective.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention, therefore, is related to development of a chewing gum formulation to effectively eradicate
H. pylori
colonies without the need for combination antibiotic therapies. This invention is related to a chewing gum formulation containing a water soluble bulk portion, a water insoluble chewing gum base portion, a flavoring agent, and compounds selected from the group consisting of colloidal bismuth subcitrate, bismuth citrate, bismuth subcitrate, bismuth salicylate, bismuth subsalicylate, bismuth subnitrate, bismuth subcarbonate, bismuth tartrate, bismuth subgallate, bismuth aluminate, and combinations thereof. This chewing gum has been found to eradicate or reduce
H. pylori
in reservoirs in the oral cavity and at the cite of infection and ulceration in the gastric mucosa. The invention further provides for a method of treating
H. pylori
infection by the administration of a chewing gum containing an amount of bismuth in a bismuth-containing compound equivalent to between about 10 and 200 milligrams of colloidal bismuth subcitrate. The invention further provides for the method of treating halitosis by the administration of a chewing gum containing bismuth compounds.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In general, chewing gum compositions include a water soluble bulk portion, a water insoluble chewing gum base portion and, typically, water insoluble flavoring agents. The water soluble portion dissipates with a portion of the flavoring agents over a period of time during chewing. The gum base portion is retained in the mouth throughout the chewing process.
The insoluble gum base generally includes elastomers, resins, fats, oils, waxes, softeners and inorganic fillers. The elastomers may include polyisobutylene, isobutylene-isoprene copolymer, styrene butadiene rubber and natural latexes such as chicle. The resins may include polyvinyl acetate and terpene resins. Low molecular weight polyvinyl acetate is a preferred resin. Fats and oils may include animal fats such as lard and tallow, vegetable oils such as soybean and cottonseed oils, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, and cocoa butter. Commonly used waxes include petroleum waxes such as paraffin and microcrystalline wax, natural waxes such as paraffin and microcrystalline wax, natural waxes such as beeswax, candellia, carnauba and polyethylene wax. Preferably, the waxes have a melting point between 95° F. and 240° F.
The gum base typically also includes a filler component such as calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, talc, dicalcium phosphate and the like; elastomers, including glycerol monostearate and glycerol triacetate; and optional ingredients such as antioxidants, colors and emulsifiers. The gum base constitutes between 5 and 95% by weight of the chewing gum composition, more typically 10-50% by weight of the chewing gum, and commonly 25-35% by weight of the chewing gum.
The water soluble portion of the chewing gum may include softeners, bulk sweeteners, high intensity sweeteners and combinations thereof. Softeners are added to the chewing gum in order to optimize the chewability and mouth feel of the gum. The softeners, which are also known as plasticizers or plasticizing agents, generally constitute between about 0.5-15% by weight of the chewing gum. The softeners may include glycerin, lecithin, and combinations thereof The softeners may also include aqueous sweetener solutions such as those containing sorbitol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, corn syrup and combinations thereof.
Bulk sweeteners constitute between 20-80% by weight of the chewing gum and may include both sugar and sugarless sweeteners and components. Sugar sweeteners may include saccharide containing components including but not limited to sucrose, dextrose, maltose, dextrin, dried invert sugar, fructose levulose, galactose, corn syrup solids, and the like, alone or in combination. Sugarless sweeteners include components with sweetening characteristics but are devoid of the commonly known sugar
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Josman Laboratories Inc.
Webman Edward J.
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