66% of drugs are bitter, inducing up to 90% of non-compliance in children and pets. Bitterness also has the property of being strongly perceptible and a longer aftertaste compared to other tastes. This limits the use of flavors to overcome the bitterness.
Simple formulation concepts like adding a flavor to a bad tasting API are frequently not capable to solve extreme taste related issues. Coating of APIs is often not realizable due to the large surface area of fine powdered APIs. Taste masking of bitter APIs can however be effectively achieved through several techniques, for which we provide extensive expertise.
Micropelletisation of API + Coating
A proved and tested formulation approach is
- to prepare micropellets including the bad tasting API
- then to coat the micropellets with a feasible coating material which is capable to
– mask the bad taste
– provide the desired drug dissolution profile (immediate / controlled / pulsatile / gastro-resistant release or combinations thereof)
Seal coating provides an initial barrier, reducing exposure to the bitter API.
Taste masking coatings further enhance this by forming a protective layer around the drug, preventing direct contact with taste receptors.
Cyclodextrins can also be used to encapsulate the API, forming complexes that block bitterness while maintaining drug efficacy.
Together, these approaches improve patient compliance by making oral medications more palatable without compromising performance.
Taste masked APIs can be processed to dispersible tablets, orally dispersible tablets (ODTs), chewable tablets, stick packs, sachets or oral liquids.
The need for efficient taste-masking is then increasing along with its importance. At GPS, we achieve complete taste-masking using our expertise in functional coatings. Learn more about how we could help you by contacting us at pharmaceuticalservices@glatt.com
