Methods and devices for maintaining a desired therapeutic drug effect over a prolonged therapy period are provided. In particular, oral dosage forms that release drug within the gastrointestinal tract at an ascending release rate over an extended time period are provided. The dosage forms may additionally comprise an immediate-release dose of drug.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/070,666, filed Apr. 30, 1998, now abandoned, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/910,593, filed Jul. 31, 1997, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 60/030,514 and 60/044,121, filed Nov. 12, 1996 and Apr. 22, 1997, respectively.
This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/967,606, filed Nov. 10, 1997, now abandoned, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/031,741, filed Nov. 25, 1996.
This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/937,336, filed Aug. 19, 1997, now abandoned.
An immediate release compressed pharmaceutical tablet that has two or more segments and a top and a bottom and has a height that exceeds the width of the tablet. The height is measured vertically from the top to the bottom of the tablet while it is in the tablet die in which it is fully compressed, after compression has been completed. The width is measured as the greatest horizontal dimension of the tablet at a location halfway between the top and the bottom of the tablet, except that when the horizontal cross-section of the tablet is substantially rectangular, the width is defined by locating the two shorter sides of the perimeter of the horizontal cross-section, and measuring the length of a line that is at right angle to the shorter sides.
An immediate release compressed pharmaceutical tablet that has two or more segments and a top and a bottom and has a height that exceeds the width of the tablet. The height is measured vertically from the top to the bottom of the tablet while it is in the tablet die in which it is fully compressed, after compression has been completed. The width is measured as the greatest horizontal dimension of the tablet at a location halfway between the top and the bottom of the tablet, except that when the horizontal cross-section of the tablet is substantially rectangular, the width is defined by locating the two shorter sides of the perimeter of the horizontal cross-section, and measuring the length of a line that is at right angle to the shorter sides.
