Compressed tablets of a water-soluble material, prepared using mannitol, did not rapidly dissolve in water since it is difficult for water to penetrate into the tablets due to their low porosity. To increase the porosity of the tablets which are prepared by direct compression using mannitol, we developed a novel method whereby camphor, a subliming material, is removed by sublimation from compressed tablets prepared using a mixture of mannitol and camphor. A high porosity was achieved due to the formation of many pores where camphor particles previously existed in the compressed mannitol tablets prior to sublimation of the camphor. These compressed tablets which have high porosity (approximately 30%) rapidly dissolved within 15 s in saliva in the mouth. We developed a direct compression method for the preparation, using mannitol and camphor, of a meclizine (antidinic agent) tablet with high porosity which dissolves rapidly in saliva. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.
