Chewing Gum: A Novel Approach for Drug Delivery

People of all cultures chew gum, and a variety of gums and gum-like substances have been enjoyed for thousands of years. The introduction and subsequent success of Nicotine chewing gum in the 1980’s paved the way for a more general acceptance of chewing gum as a drug delivery system. Improved technology and extended knowledge, together with the inclusion of medical chewing gum in the European Pharmacopoeia in 1998, have further contributed to the acceptance of this method of drug delivery. Today, medicated chewing gum meets the same high quality standards as tablets. Furthermore, it can be formulated to obtain various release profiles of active substances, thus enabling distinct patient group targeting. This review focuses on the recent advancement in the field of chewing gum drug delivery system with some future prospects of the same. INTRODUCTION Chewing gum is a pleasure that almost everyone enjoys. In addition to its confectionery role, chewing gum also has a proven value as a delivery vehicle for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical ingredients.1 It can be taken discreetly without water, and allows for local and systemic delivery. It can be employed for treatment of diseases of the oral cavity and throat, e.g. for caries prevention, or it can release drugs that can be absorbed through oral mucosa directly into the systemic circulation. In addition, drug that is not absorbed by the oral cavity membranes can be dissolved in the saliva before swallowing, thus leading to a more rapid onset of action.2 Chewing gum may be a particularly effective means for delivering and maintaining a sufficient antibacterial dose of KSL-W in the oral cavity. Because chewing gum is usually kept in the mouth much longer than rinses and toothpastes, the active agent included in a chewing gum formulation, if efficiently released into the saliva, could Chewing Gum: A Novel Approach for Drug Delivery