Famotidine orally disintegrating tablets: bitterness comparison of original and generic products

The purpose of the present study was to compare the palatability of the original and eight generic versions of famotidine orally disintegrating tablets by means of human gustatory sensation tests, a comparison of the release profiles, and using an automated taste sensor, the alpha-Astree Electronic Tongue. In the gustatory sensation test, the original product (Gaster D, 10 mg) showed the lowest bitterness intensity. Among the eight generic products tested, the variance in the sweetness intensity was not great, but there were large variances in the intensity of bitterness, some of the generic products being significantly more bitter than that of the original product. On the other hand, some generic products show similar bitterness level as the original product. In a study of release profiles, the original product had the lowest release rates of both famotidine and aspartame; in comparison, some of the generic products had high release rates of famotidine and aspartame, even in the initial stages. Whereas some generic products had low release rates of famotidine and aspartame. Finally, sample solutions were analysed using the taste sensor. There was a good correlation between the taste predicted by principal component analysis and the Euclidean distance obtained by the taste sensor, and bitterness intensities obtained in the human gustatory tests.