Addressing Swallowing And Palatability Issues With Patient-Friendly Dosage Forms

By Gus La Bella, Director of Formulation Development, Mikart

Swallowing difficulties, along with unpleasant tastes and textures, frequently create significant barriers to medication adherence among pediatric and geriatric patients, as well as individuals of any age affected by dysphagia. When patients are unable or unwilling to take medications as prescribed, the result can be reduced therapeutic effectiveness, disease progression, and poorer overall health outcomes. Addressing these challenges has become an increasingly important focus in modern drug development.

Recent advances in dosage form design, formulation strategies, and enabling technologies now make it possible to significantly improve both swallowability and palatability. These innovations support the development of patient-friendly alternatives such as taste-masked formulations, easy-to-swallow solids, and flexible oral delivery formats tailored to specific patient populations.

As a leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), Mikart partners with customers across the product lifecycle to develop, manufacture, and package differentiated, patient-centric dosage forms. With deep expertise in formulation science and scalable manufacturing capabilities, Mikart helps translate innovative concepts into compliant, high-quality products designed to overcome swallowing and taste-related challenges while enhancing patient adherence and therapeutic success.