Pharmaceutical Lozenges: Recent Trends and Developments with an Update on Research and Patents.

Pharmaceutical oral dosage forms are tremendously preferred by both consumers as well as pharmaceutical manufacturers owing to the plethora of benefits they offer. Lozenges (LZs) are one of the dosage forms that provide a palatable means of drug administration and have great importance with respect to their pharmaceutical applications. LZs offer additional benefits to pediatric and geriatric patients, along with people having problems associated with the gastro-intestinal tract. Dysphagia is a common problem faced by all age groups, which gives rise to the need for LZs. Moreover, the foremost merit presented by the medicated LZs includes its augmented retention time in the oral cavity that results in an enhanced bioavailability for buccal or upper gastro-intestinal disorders. Further, LZs can also be used to bypass the first-pass effect. The present review covers various aspects of LZs such as formulation, manufacturing techniques, evaluation parameters, marketed products, patents, and a compilation of research work that has been done on lozenges as a delivery system.