Five Takeaways from the University of Maryland CERSI Pediatric Conference
Surprising takeaways from the recent University of Maryland CERSI workshop, Shaping the Future of Pediatric Formulation Development.
Explore expert perspectives, scientific advances, and practical strategies to help develop medicines that patients are willing to take.
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Surprising takeaways from the recent University of Maryland CERSI workshop, Shaping the Future of Pediatric Formulation Development.
Senopsys, a leader in developing palatable medicines through sensory science, today announced its 20th anniversary serving the global biopharmaceutical industry.
Taste, aroma, mouthfeel, texture, and aftertaste remain uniquely human—and uniquely measurable through validated sensory science methodologies developed over decades.
A question for formulation scientists: If we already dual-source for quality, supply, and cost—why are we not systematically dual-sourcing for flavor quality?
The increasing use of flavored, chewable, and rapidly dissolving dosage forms has transformed the patient experience of taking medicines—particularly for pediatric and geriatric populations. At the same time, these innovations have raised an important regulatory question: When does a medicine become “too much like candy”?
A neighbor slipped and fell in his driveway. He was unable to get up and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Before medical treatment could be initiated, the hospital needed to run diagnostic tests, e.g., x-ray, MRI. The same is true for developing palatable formulations – it’s not enough to know that it tastes “yucky” as there’s no universal “yummy” excipient.
It is widely recognized that young children cannot swallow traditional tablets, but difficulty in swallowing tablets (dysphagia) is not limited to children. An estimated 40% of adults report difficulty in swallowing tablets, which is increasingly common among older patients. How can the formulation scientist address these important patient needs, and how can “swallowability” even be quantitatively measured?
An estimated 80% of new drug actives are classified as poorly soluble. There are a number of approaches for enhancing solubility – alternative salt forms, particle size reduction and solubility-enhancing excipients, among others. Like APIs, many excipients are known to be bitter or have other aversive sensory attributes including aromatic off-notes (malodor) and trigeminal irritation (e.g., tongue sting and mouth or throat burn). In some cases, the taste masking challenge of the excipient system can be greater than for the API itself.
Listerine® PocketPaks® – the postage stamp-size strips that melt in your mouth – became an instant hit after their market debut with more than 100 million units sold. Named a “Best Innovation” by Time Magazine, audiences and critics raved about their portability and ability to take without water. Not only did Listerine PocketPaks create a popular sensation, they established a new genre for oral drug delivery!
Try this experiment next time you are in a coffee shop: Open a packet of artificial sweetener (pink, yellow, or blue) and pour it directly on your tongue. Yuck! That tasted nothing like a spoonful of sugar – so what happened? Though artificial sweeteners are widely used in pharmaceuticals, formulating with them is far from straightforward.