Claims for Patent: 6,071,523

Summary for Patent: 6,071,523

Title:	Spill resistant pharmaceutical compositions in semi-solid form
Abstract:	A spill-resistant pharmaceutical formulation for oral administration from a squeezable container comprises a pharmaceutical agent in a suitable vehicle comprising a liquid base and a thickening agent, the formulation consisting of mutually compatible components and having the following properties: a viscosity within the range of about 7500 to about 12,500 cps using a Brookfield Viscometer with a `C` spindle with Helipath movement at a spindle speed of 20 rpm and 20-25.degree. C., a viscometric yield value of a semi-solid, a spill-resistant consistency permitting the composition to be squeezed by light manual pressure through a channel, to spread in a spoon bowl sufficiently quickly for accurate measurement, and to remain in the spoon bowl without spilling on spoon inversion, tilting at 90 degrees, and vibration, homogeneity such that the components do not separate under conditions of use, and a storage stability such that the foregoing properties are retained for at least two years shelf life. A method for producing a formulation for a spill-resistant pharmaceutical composition comprises combining a per-unit dose effective amount of a pharmaceutical agent with suitable vehicle components comprising a liquid base and a thickening agent, and testing the formulation for acceptance criteria.
Inventor(s):	Mehta; Rakesh (Nanuet, NY), Moros; Dan (Larchmont, NY)
Assignee:	Taro Pharmaceuticals Industries, Ltd. (IL)
Application Number:	09/089,360
Patent Claims:	1. A spill resistant pharmaceutical formulation for oral administration from a squeezable container, comprising an effective amount of a pharmaceutical agent in a suitable vehicle comprising a liquid base and a thickening agent, the formulation consisting of mutually compatible components and having the following properties: an initial viscosity within the range of about 7,500 to about 12,500 cps using a Brookfield Viscometer with a `C` spindle with Helipath movement at a spindle speed of 20 rpm and 20-25.degree. C., a viscometric yield value of a semi-solid, a spill resistant consistency permitting the composition to be squeezed by light manual pressure though a channel of about 1-1.5 mm, to spread in a spoon bowl sufficiently quickly for accurate measurement, and to remain in the spoon bowl without spilling for at least about one second and less than about 20 seconds on spoon tilting at 90 degrees, and for at least about 30 seconds upon spoon vibration at a frequency of about 120/minute, homogeneity such that the components do not separate under conditions of use, and a storage stability such that the foregoing properties are retained for at least three months of storage at elevated temperature, with viscosity remaining within a range of 50% less to 100% more than the initial viscosity, wherein said thickening agent comprises components selected from the group consisting of cellulose derivatives in an amount of less than about 2 weight % by volume, and water-soluble carboxyvinyl polymer in an amount less than 1 weight % by volume. 2. The formulation of claim 1, wherein the viscosity is between about 7500 and about 25,000 cps after storage for three months at a temperature of 40 degrees C. and 75% humididty. 3. The formulation of claim 2, wherein the viscosity is between about 7500 and about 12,500 cps after storage. 4. The formulation of claim 1, wherein the formulation comprises from about 0.25 to less than 1 weight % water-soluble carboxyvinyl polymer. 5. The formulation of claim 1, wherein the liquid base comprises glycerin and sorbitol. 6. The formulation of claim 1, wherein the thickening agent comprises sodium carboxymethylcellulose in an amount of about 0.9% and microcrystalline cellulose in an amount of about 0.9%. 7. The formulation of claim 1, wherein the thickening agent comprises cellulose derivatives in an amount of less than about 2 weight % by volume, and the formulation further comprises glycerin and sorbitol as a solution of about 70% in water, the combined concentration of glycerin and sorbitol solution being about 40%. 8. The formulation of claim 4, wherein the thickening agent comprises water-soluble carboxyvinyl polymer in an amount of from about 0.25 to about 0.5 weight % by volume. 9. The formulation of claim 1, having a spill-resistant consistency permitting the composition to remain in the spoon bowl without spilling for from about 1 second to about 4 seconds on spoon inversion and on spoon tilting at 90 degrees. 10. The formulation of claim 1, wherein the thickening agent comprises cellulose derivatives in an amount of less than about 2 weight % by volume, and the liquid base comprises propylene glycol in an amount of from about 10 to about 85 weight % by volume. 11. The formulation of claim 1, wherein, the pharmaceutical agent is selected from the group consisting of an analgesic, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, antihistamine, cough suppressant, expectorant, bronchodilator, anti-infective, CNS active drug, cardiovascular drug, antineoplastic, cholesterol-lowering drug, anti-emetic, vitamin, mineral supplement and fecal softener. 12. The formulation of claim 1, wherein the pharmaceutical agent is selected from the group consisting of acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen, diphenhydramine, dextromethorphan, guafenesin, pseudoephedrine, carbidopa, levodopa, terfenadine, ranitidine, ciprofloxacin, triazolam, fluconazole, propranolol, acyclovir, fluoxetine, enalapril, diltiazem, lovastatin and a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or ester thereof. 13. The formulation of claim 1 further comprising a squeezable container containing the formulation and providing a ready-to-use pharmaceutical delivery system from which a unit of the formulation may be squeezed. 14. The system of claim 13 wherein the container contains a single dose of the formulation. 15. The system of claim 13 wherein the container contains multiple doses of the formulation. 16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a spoon bowl receptacle attachable to the container. 17. The formulation of claim 1, wherein the liquid base comprises from about 30% to about 50% glycerin. 18. The formulation of claim 17, wherein the liquid base further comprises propylene glycol in an amount up to about 25 weight % by volume. 19. A spill-resistant pharmaceutical formulation for oral administration from a squeezable container, comprising an effective amount of a pharmaceutical agent in a suitable vehicle comprising a liquid base comprising from about 30% to about 50% glycerin, and a thickening agent, the formulation consisting of mutually compatible components and having the following properties an initially viscosity within the range of about 7,500 to about 12,500 cps using a Brookfield Viscometer with a `C` spindle with Helipath movement at a spindle speed of 20 rpm and 20-25.degree. C., a viscometric yield value of a semi-solid, a spill-resistant consistency permitting the composition to be squeezed by light manual pressure through a channel of about one to five mm, to spread in a spoon bowl sufficiently quickly for accurate measurement, and to remain in the spoon bowl without spilling for at least about 1 second but less than twenty seconds on spoon tilting at 90 degrees, and for at least about 1 minute upon spoon vibration at a frequency of about 120/minute, homogeneity such that the components do not separate under conditions of use, and a storage stability such that the foregoing properties are retained for at least three months of storage at elevated temperature, with viscosity remaining within a range of 50% less to 100% more than the initial viscosity. 20. The formulation of claim 19, wherein said thickening agent comprises components selected from the group consisting of cellulose derivatives in an amount of from about 0.9 to 2.5 weight %, and water-soluble carboxyvinyl polymer in an amount less than 1 weight % by volume. 21. The formulation of claim 20, wherein the liquid base comprises about 50% glycerin and the thickening agent comprises water-soluble carboxyvinyl polymer in an amount of from about 0.25 to about 1 weight % by volume. 22. The formulation of claim 21, wherein the liquid base further comprises propylene glycol in an amount up to about 25 weight % by volume. 23. The formulation of claim 20, wherein the liquid base comprises about 30% glycerol and the thickening agent comprises cellulose derivatives in an amount of from about 0.9 to 2.5 weight % by volume. 24. The formulation of claim 23, wherein said thickening agent comprises sodium carboxymethylcellulose in an amount of about 0.9 weight % by volume and microcrystalline cellulose in an amount of about 0.9% weight % by volume.