Dosage form suitability in vulnerable populations: A focus on paracetamol acceptability from infants to centenarians

Medicine acceptability is a multi-faceted concept driven by both product and user characteristics. Although a key factor for treatment effectiveness, especially in vulnerable populations, knowledge of those medicine features that best promote individual user acceptability remains fragmented. Focusing on paracetamol, this study has explored the appropriateness of pharmaceutical products in different dosage forms to achieve adequate patient acceptability from infants to centenarians.

This observational, multicentre, prospective study was carried out in 10 hospitals, 8 nursing homes and over 150 community dispensaries. Observers reported several behaviours/events evaluating acceptability for 1016 different pharmaceutical product uses in paediatrics (<18y.) and 1288 in the elderly (≥65y.). Using mapping and clustering, a multivariate approach offered an intelligible reference framework for each population, providing comprehensive scores: positively or negatively accepted.

Among all the evaluations supporting the acceptability reference frameworks, there were 502 reports on paracetamol products intake. Herein we focused on the 5 products with ≥30 evaluations. Although oral suspension and powder for oral solution were positively-accepted in the paediatric group, the powder had a higher rate of negative patient reaction (p<0.001). Of those that received this formulation, 72% were ≤8y., and therefore suitable to receive the better accepted oral suspension. In the elderly, patients with swallowing disorders were preferentially treated with such powders (p<0.001), which were less often fully taken than orally disintegrating tablets (p<0.001). Even in those patients ≥90y., capsule formulations appeared to be the best accepted product in patients without swallowing alterations, and thus could be a suitable alternative to the powder in this population.

By better integrating patient characteristics when choosing dosage forms, clinicians and caregivers may improve treatment acceptability and adherence. Moreover, hospitals and healthcare institutions could optimise purchasing to best suit their local population, disseminating information to help staff align specific dosage forms to targeted patients.