REVIEW ARTICLE Patient-Centred Pharmaceutical Design to Improve Acceptability of Medicines: Similarities and Differences in Paediatric and Geriatric Populations

The Author(s) 2014. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract Patient acceptability of a medicinal product is a key aspect in the development and prescribing of medi-cines. Children and older adults differ in many aspects from the other age subsets of population and require par-ticular considerations in medication acceptability. This review highlights the similarities and differences in these two age groups in relation to factors affecting acceptability of medicines. New and conventional formulations of medicines are considered regarding their appropriateness for use in children and older people. Aspects of a formu-lation that impact acceptability in these patient groups are discussed, including, for example, taste/smell/viscosity of a liquid and size/shape of a tablet. A better understanding of the acceptability of existing formulations highlights opportunities for the development of new and more acceptable medicines and facilitates safe and effective prescribing for the young and older populations. Key Points Appropriate pharmaceutical design of oral medicines can improve acceptability and patient outcomes in paediatric and geriatric populations. Similar considerations should be given to physical characteristics affecting swallowability of tablets and capsules for use in children and older patients. Whilst formulation factors such as taste and smell are important features for paediatric medicines, safe swallowing is the key formulation factor in designing medicines for older patients.