Tablets, chewable bases

Miller et al., 1989 n = 6 children n = 3 n — 3 Age range 11-17 years 250 mg Ca as CCM enriched with tracer in form of chewable tablets Stable dual isotope tracers used to quantify CaAbs in urine and serum. Comparison of CCM chewable versus CCM swallowable supplements and CaCOa from data collected previously in same subjects Based on urinary excretion which correlated with serum data (r = 0.85) x SD% CaAbs from chewable CCM for molar ratio 6 2 3 (41.4 8.2%) > swallowable CCM for molar ratio 5 1 1 (39.5 10.6%) > CaCOa (26.7 7.8%) Chewable CCM > CaCOa (p =. 047) and swallowable CCM > CaCO (p =. 094)... 

Chewable tablets. These tablets are preferred for pediatric and geriatric patients who have difficulty swallowing whole tablets. Another advantage is that they do not need water for administration. Mannitol is normally used as the base diluent because of its pleasant taste and texture, and because it can effectively mask the taste of objectionable actives. They are usually prepared by wet granulation and are not compressed very hard. High amounts of flavor are added to increase palatability. Antacids are typically formulated as chewable tablets. 

Mendes, R.W. Anaebonam, A.O. Daruwala, J.B. Chewable tablets. In Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms Tablets, Lieberman, H.A., Lachman, L., Schwartz, J.B., Eds. Marcel Dekker, Inc. New York, 1989 I, 362-387. Richards, R.M. Xing, J.Z. Mackay, K.M. Excipient interaction with cetylpyridinium chloride activity in tablet based lozenges. Pharm. Res. 1996, 13 (8), 1258-1264. 

In general, the manufacturing process used for the majority of these tablets are the same as those used for humans and are discussed elsewhere (chap. 13, vol. 1). Direct compression and granulation (wet, dry) are both used. Chewable tablets can also be made by these methods or sometimes are molded via excursion and cut into appropriate sizes. The terms chewable tablets and treats are sometimes confusing. One way to classify is to state that chewable tablets that are made by direct or granulation processes are then called tablets. This would be similar to the mannitol-based chewable tablets prevalent for humans. The term treat is used for the more soft tablets that are produced via extrusion or cast molding. 

Iron poisoning often is not recognized as a potentially serious problem by parents or victims until symptoms develop, and thus valuable time to institute treatment is lost. Parents should be made aware of the potential risks and asked to observe basic poison prevention measures. Many chewable vitamins with iron are shaped like animal or cartoon characters that can be attractive to children and can lead to poisoning. Some hard-coated iron tablets resemble candy-coated chocolates and are confused easily by children. Based on these considerations and the frequency of this poisoning, iron tablets are packaged in child-resistant containers. 

Sweetrex . [Mendell] Dextrose, fructose, maltose, isomaltose blends directly compressible chewable tablet base. 

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