The technologies used for developing orally disintegrating tablets: A review

An orally disintegrating tablet (ODT) is defined as a solid dosage form that dis-solves or disintegrates quickly in the oral cavity without the need for administration of water. The EP describes ODTs as »uncoated tablets intended to be placed in the mouth where they disperse rapidly before being swallowed « and as tablets which should disin-tegrate within 3 min (1). FDA defines ODT as »a solid dosage form which contains a me-dicinal substance or active ingredient which disintegrates rapidly within a matter of sec-onds when placed upon a tongue « (2). Orally disintegrating tablets are claimed to be a better solution than conventional solid oral dosage forms (tablets and capsules) as the latter create problems for pediatric, geriatric, bedridden, nauseous or non-complient pa-tients (3). After coming in contact with saliva ODTs disintegrate immediately and pro-duce a suspension that can be easily swallowed by the patient (4). The active ingredients in solution are more rapidly absorbed through the pre-gastric route from the mouth, pharynx and esophagus and through gastrointestinal epithelium to produce the desired effect (5). ODTs are preferred for people suffering from dysphagia, institutional psychi