Medicated chewing gum : Emerging technique in oral drug delivery

Medicated chewing gum has a history for about a century. Now-a-days it is considered to be a potential and conve-nient modified release drug delivery system which can be used in pain relief medication, smoking cessation, travel illness, freshening of breath, prevention of dental caries, alleviation of xerostomia, vitamin or mineral supplementa-tion etc. Medicated chewing gums are prepared by using a water insoluble gum base with water soluble bulk portion. A medicated chewing gum (MCG) is solid, single-dose dosage form. It is prepared such that it can be chewed for a period of time; deliver the drug and which may contain one or more active pharmaceutical ingredients. Medicated chewing gum provides a wide range of advantages that helps to make it an excellent alternative over other chewable dosage forms. Medicated chewing gum (MCG) is a drug delivery system that consists of an active ingredient incorporated into a chewing gum and released by the mechanical action of chewing. A special in-vitro apparatus was designed and constructed for release testing of MCGs which is official in European Pharmacopoeia. It offers a highly convenient, patient-compliant way of dosing medications, particularly for people with swallowing difficulties such as children and the elderly.