Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Pharmacy - Department of Pharmaceutics

Oral delivery of drug is currently the gold standard in pharmaceutical industry where it is regarded as the safest, most convenient and most economical method of drug delivery having the highest patient compliance. Oral routes of drug administration have wide acceptance up to 50 - 60% of total dosage forms. Solid dosage forms are popular because of ease of administration, accurate dosage, self medication, pain avoidance and most importantly the patient compliance. The most popular solid dosage forms are being tablets and capsules difficulty in swallowing conventional tablets and capsules is common among all age groups, especially in elderly and dysphagic patients. This disorder of dysphagia is associated with many medical conditions including stroke, parkinson{u2019}s disease, AIDS, thyroidectomy, head and neck radiation therapy and other neurological disorders including cerebral palsy. One study showed that 26% out of 1576 patients experienced difficulty in swallowing tablets due to their large size, followed by their surface, shape and taste. Elderly patients may find the administration of the conventional oral dosage forms difficult as they regularly require medicines to maintain a healthy life. Children may also have difficulty in ingesting because of their underdeveloped muscular and nervous systems

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