Abstract: Pharmaceutical compositions for orally delivering a therapeutically effective amount of a drug to the colon without significant release of the drug in the upper GI tract after oral administration of the composition are described. The composition is a unit dosage in the form of a tablet that comprises about 0.01% by weight to about 10% by weight of the drug that is useful in treating a colonic disorder or that is absorbed from the colon; about 40% by weight to about 98% by weight of a hydrocolloid gum obtainable from higher plants; and about 2% by weight to about 50% by weight of a pharmaceutically acceptable binder. The compositions are useful for treating lower GI disorders in human subjects by administering a suitable amount to a subject in need thereof. A particularly preferred aspect is the process for preparing such composition in the form of a tablet.

Abstract: Pharmaceutical compositions for orally delivering a therapeutically effective amount of a drug to the colon without significant release of the drug in the upper GI tract after oral administration of the composition are described. The composition comprises about 0.5% by weight to about 10% by weight of the drug that is useful in treating a colonic disorder or that is absorbed from the colon; about 40% by weight to about 80% by weight of a hydrocolloid gum obtainable from higher plants; and about 10% by weight to about 50% by weight of a pharmaceutically acceptable binder. The compositions are useful for treating colon disorders in human subjects by administering a suitable amount to a subject in need thereof. A particularly preferred aspect is the process for preparing such composition in the form of a tablet.

Abstract: A novel granular drug delivery system having a gel-forming dietary fiber that can be made into a an orally-ingestible dispersion by admixture with a liquid that can deliver an effective dose of a pharmaceutically-active compound. The granular drug delivery system comprises granules consisting essentially of a pharmaceutically active compound, and a gel-forming dietary fiber, the granules being coated with at least one of the following: a gel-forming dietary fiber, a starch or a protein. The composition may further include a mineral salt that releases a physiologically-acceptable gas upon ingestion. The composition of the granular drug delivery system will deliver microgram quantities of a pharmaceutically-active compound in an orally-ingestible dispersion without forming a thick gel and without forming "hot" and "cold" spots of the pharmaceutically-active compound.

Abstract: A prolonged-release unit dosage formulation or pharmaceutical composition, preferably in tablet form, is described. The composition consists essentially of a gel-forming fiber, preferably hydrocolloid-coated, a biologically-absorbable drug or other active therapeutic agent which is also preferably hydrocolloid-coated, a mineral salt which releases a physiologically-acceptable gas upon ingestion, preferably carbon dioxide, e.g., a mineral carbonate or bicarbonate, and optionally an organic or phosphoric acid and a dextrose or like soluble sugar. The fiber-containing composition, when in the form of a tablet or other unit dosage form together with the drug or agent and the stated disintegrants, provides a unique, efficient and controllable prolonged-action drug-delivery system.