Preparation of fast-dissolving tablets based on mannose

Recent developments in fast dissolving (or fast disintegrating) tablets have brought convenience in dosing to elderly and children, who have trouble swallowing tablets. Fast-dissolving tablets dissolve or disintegrate in the mouth without any extra fluid, and so they are highly useful for those who need to take medicine in the absence of water. The key properties of fast-dissolving tablets are fast absorption of water into the core of tablets and disintegration of associated particles into individual components for fast dissolution. The strategy of making fast-dissolving tablets presented in this study is based on using carbohydrates that have extremely high water solubility. D-Mannose is a naturally occurring sugar with aqueous solubility of 2.5 mg/ml that can be compressed at a low pressure. Therefore, mannose was chosen as the main excipient. Tablets with high porosity were made in a 3-step process. First, mannose powder was compressed into a tablet with reasonable strength. Second, this compact was exposed to relative humidity higher than the critical relative humidity of mannose to absorb water. Third, tablets were dried to gain mechanical strength. The disintegration mechanism was studied.