An Easy-To-Swallow Depression Drug For Elderly Patients

A CDC study in 2017 found that depression affects about 1%-5% of the general elderly population, and that number rises significantly in elderly hospital patients (11.5%) and in those who require home healthcare (13.5%). The treatment of depression in the elderly is an important mission for health care providers, but the high occurrence of dysphagia — difficulty swallowing — in geriatric populations presents challenges for consistent and effective treatment plans.

Dysphagia often leads to a sharp decline in treatment compliance since patients will often delay or skip doses of medication to avoid pain or discomfort. When prescribed tablets, dysphagic patients are commonly given a compounded formulation in which the tablets are ground into a powder and placed into an inert liquid. However, compounded formulations can exhibit significant dosing inconsistencies. A 2006 survey found that 12 of the 36 compounded products surveyed by the FDA failed quality testing.

This case study examines how an innovative formulation helped the maker of a drug used to treat depression create a version of their drug that would better serve the geriatric population. Download the study in PDF and learn about the unique approaches to compound formulations that can help increase adherence in patients who avoid their medications due to dysphagia.