Medicated chewing gums – An Overview

Abstract

Now-a-days, there is increased interest on the formulation of oral delivery systems the reason behind this the ease of administration offered by oral route. Besides its ease, oral route offers a variety of advantages over others. Medicated chewing gum is one the technological advancement in the field of oral drug delivery systems. In recent years, chewing gums gained increased acceptability among the patients because of its advantages like local and systemic effects, avoidance of first pass metabolism, fast action with fewer side-effects etc. Chewing gums provide feasibility of removing the chewed mass from the oral cavity at times needed without any invasive means. Medicated chewing gums uses a gum base into which other additives like elastomers, plasticizers, softeners, fillers, colors, flavors, sweeteners and ofcourse an active drug are incorporated. They provide a beautiful means of self-medication and can be administered anytime, anywhere without need of water. Drug release from the chewing gums is directly proportional to the extent we chew the gum mass in the oral cavity. Thus, in near future we may find various drugs formulated in the form of chewing gums. The current review presents a brief idea on the history, advantages, composition, manufacturing and evaluation of medicated chewing gums.