Shape of Tablets for Ease of Swallowing

Drugs and supplements come in various forms, such as tablets, granules, hard capsules, soft capsules, jellies, and syrups. We examined how the shape of round tablets affects ease of swallowing, since tablets come in various shapes, sizes, and colors. Round tablets are characterized by their diameter, radius of curvature, and thickness. There have been no studies of the relationships between these factors and ease of swallowing, and no method is available for sensory evaluation of ease of swallowing. We therefore constructed a “Map of tablets shape for swallowing” using the RSM-S (Response Surface Method by Spline) to examine the relationships between three factors (diameter, radius of curvature, and thickness) and ease of swallowing. Our “Map of tablet shape for swallowing” was found to be effective in the initial phase of tablet design.