Academic Source 1:

Preis, Maren. 2015. “Orally Disintegrating Films and Mini-Tablets—Innovative Dosage Forms of Choice for Pediatric Use.” AAPS PharmSciTech 16, no. 2 (March 5): 234-241. Accessed October 22, 2017. doi: 10.1208/s12249-015-0313-1

This article was published in Volume 16, issue no. 2 of AAPS PharmSciTech, the peer-reviewed online journal of The American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists. The journal publishes pharmaceutical news related to the research, development and evaluation of pharmaceutical dosage forms and delivery systems.

The text initially provides background on oral administration of medication, stating that it has long been preferred because it is non-invasive. The article then proceeds to discuss new research conducted for the development of new forms of pediatric medicines, while stating that the findings can be widely interpreted. The research referenced in this article mentions that increasing usage of orally disintegrating films and tablets, especially small-sized tablets may be appropriate for the administration of pediatric medicine, pending licensing and approval. Overall, enhancements to the administration of pediatric medicine are necessary, but only if they are subject to proper regulation and review.

 

Academic Source 2:

van Riet-Nales, Diana, Alfred F A M Schobben, Herman Vromans, Toine C G Egberts, Carin M A Rademakers. 2016. “Safe and effective pharmacotherapy in infants and preschool children: importance of formulation aspects.” Archives of Disease in Childhood 101. no. 7 (March 15): 662-669. Accessed October 22, 2017. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2015-308227

This article was published in Volume 101, issue no. 7 of Archives of Disease in Childhood, an international peer review journal that aims to inform pediatricians about various advances in the diagnosis and treatment of childhood diseases.

The text discusses the current methods of oral ingestion of medication for newborns and infants, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each. One trend the article points out is that there has been a general increase in the attention that is paid to the specific form that pediatric medication takes. Moreover, the older a child gets, the more tolerant that child becomes to larger tablets meant to dissolve in the stomach rather than the mouth. The study also found that there is evidence to suggest that children prefer mini-tablets rather than a powder, suspension or syrup. Lastly, the article discusses the potential for the administration of medicine through orodispersible films – a tablet designed to disintegrate in the patient’s mouth.

 

Popular Source:

Gray, Richard. 2014. “Just a spoonful of water: doctors find best method for swallowing pills.” The Guardian. November 10. Accessed October 22, 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/10/swallowing-pills-best-technique-doctors-medication-study

This article was written in 2014 by Richard Gray, a science journalist with 15 years of experience writing about various topics in the field. He studied biochemistry at the University of Edinburgh prior to being a journalist.

Gray’s article discusses the results of a series of tests taken with a sample size of 143 patients taking 283 pills. As background, the article mentioned two key figures; namely, that one in three people have difficulty swallowing oral medication, and that 10% of patients with swallowing difficulties cite this as a reason for not taking prescribed medication at all. Gray outlines the procedure of the study, and then proceeds to outline the two techniques that patients were asked to use to swallowing traditional medicine capsules: the “pop bottle method” and “lean forward method.” The study found that these techniques resulted in more pills successfully swallowed.