Taste Masked Medicated Pharmaceutical

1/4 tsp. of white beeswax by Spectrum of Gardena, California was placed in a "Braun" chopper having a metal bowl and blades with clear acrylic top. To this was added 1 "Chlorseptic" lozenge by Norwich Eaton Pharmaceuticals. Each lozenge contains as the active ingredients 32.5 mg phenol and sodium phenolate, with inactive ingredients comprising coloring agent, corn syrup, flavor and sucrose. The chopper was operated for about 1 minute until materials were blended into fine powder. The powder was transferred to a mixing vessel to which was added 3 tsp. aspirin USP from Valley Biomedical of Winchester, Virginia, 1/5 tsp. "Crisco" vegetable oil for binding, and 1/2 cup (24 tsps.) lime flosssugar. The ingredients were mixed thoroughly with a spoon for about 4 minutes, and the resulting mixture spun using the floss spinning machine. A nice floss resulted. When a sample of the floss was added to water at room temperature, the floss was observed to float. However, when added to water at 180.degree. F. the floss dispersed immediately while a quantity of telltale white material appeared at the surface. It was concluded that the white material was the aspirin content.

The procedure set forth in Example I was repeated but omitting the "chlorseptic" lozenge. A nice floss resulted.

Having produced the two quantities of floss, one with a phenol content and one without, a quantity of the floss produced in Example II, about the size of a quarter dollar and about 1/4" thick, was placed on the tongue of the experimenter. It dispersed in about 4 to 5 seconds leaving a bitter aftertaste characteristic of aspirin. About 1 hour later, having cleared the palate, the experimenter repeated the test this time using a wad, the same size, of the floss produced in Example I. Again, it took about 4 to 5 seconds to disperse on the tongue. But this time the phenol content apparently numbed slightly the taste buds such that absolutely no aspirin taste could be detected either during the dispersion or by way of aftertaste.

The ratio of the "chlorseptic" lozenge to the aspirin medicament in Example I is believed to be about 1:9. The actual phenol content is less than that relative to the medicament and has been estimated as in the ratio of about 1:40. Moreover, the test described in Example II revealed that the beeswax plus sucrose content by itself was ineffective to cause the sucrose content to mask the taste of the aspirin. However, the small quantity of phenol in the ratio of 1 part phenol to 40 parts aspirin to 320 parts sucrose was completely effective.

Having described the present invention with reference to the presently preferred embodiment, it should be apparent to those skilled in the subject art that various changes in materials and in the process steps can be adopted without departing from the true spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.