Development of Deglutition Aid Jelly for Oral Administration

Many patients find it difficult to swallow powdery preparations like granules and because of this do not take their medication as prescribed. The difficulty is experienced in particular with dysphagic and geriatric patients, in addition to pediatric patients, especially those who find it difficult to deal with the bitter taste of medicine. It is possible that such problems result in a high incidence of noncompliance and ineffective therapy. In contrast, it is generally known that gelatinous foods like jelly are a favorite with the elderly and infants because their rheological properties make them easy to swallow. We have developed a deglutition aid jelly that can change almost all solid preparations into gelatinous dosage form preparations, which poses no risk of aspiration or spilling from the mouth, and thus is safe. To evaluate the pharmaceutical utility of this jelly, sensory tests and videofluoroscopic assessments were performed in 10 healthy adult volunteers (20-60 years of age). During the sensory tests, this jelly showed significant improvement in diffusion of the powdery preparation in the mouth and of adhesion to the oropharynx and prolonged the time until the bitter taste of the medicine was perceived. During the videofluoroscopic assessments, there were significant changes in the total oropharyngeal transit time (mean -13.04 s) and oral transit time (mean -10.69 s) in the group that received the jelly, suggesting improvement in the initiation of pharyngeal contractions and reduction in the time required for the bolus to transverse the pharynx. In addition, significant improvement in the oral onset of swallowing and a significant reduction in pharyngeal swallowing delay and in the frequency of aspiration were observed in some hospitalized patients with dysphagia. This jelly could therefore contribute to improved compliance in patients who feel burdened by taking oral medications.