Fast dissolving/disintegrating dosage forms (FDDFs) comprise dosage forms
meant for dissolution/disintegration in saliva and subsequent swallowing of the
formulation. FDDFs include fast dissolving/disintegrating tablets (FDTs), fast
dissolving/disintegrating films (FDFs), fast dissolving/disintegrating pellets (FDPs) or
fast dissolving/disintegrating granules (FDGs), etc. Drug release from such dosage
forms starts from the oral cavity itself and, therefore, a part of total drug may be
absorbed much before the drug reaches in the stomach. Early release of the drug in
saliva, in close proximity to taste buds, makes it desirable that the drug shall be
presented in a taste masked form and palatability shall be improved to an extent that
dosage form is highly acceptable among patients. Therefore, bitter or other unpleasant
taste of the drug is a great challenge to formulate a taste masked FDDF formulation.
An ideal taste masking technique should provide a good refreshing mouthfeel, pleasant
taste and appealing flavour. On the other hand, an ideal taste masking technique shall
not impart grittiness, reduction in bioavailability and a large increase in the size of the
dosage form. Approaches for taste masking are generally categorised into physical,
chemical and organoleptic (physiological). The technology of taste masking is highly
proprietary and extensively patented. Physical/chemical methods of masking the
undesirable taste work synergistically with organoleptic approaches for improving the
overall palatability of pharmaceutical formulations. Hence, several proprietary taste
masking technologies utilise synergistic/additive effect of two or more approaches for
taste masking. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview on taste masking
methods, proprietary and/or patented technologies, giving special emphasis on their
application in FDDFs.
Keywords: Adsorption, Aqueous solubility, Bitter, Bitterness threshold, Coating,
Complexation, Cyclodextrin, Extrusion, Granulation, Microencapsulation,
Multiple emulsion, Prodrug, Resin, Rheology, Salt, Solid dispersion, Taste
inhibitor, Taste modifier.
