TABLET REDUCER

Abstract: A tablet reducer for cutting tablets accurately to a range of different sizes so that an addicted patient can gradually reduce the dose of a drug provided by each tablet taken. The tablet reducer comprises a tray (8) having a series of recesses (14) of graduated depths, a sliding blade (22) for cutting off that part of a tablet protruding from a recess (14) and a sliding file (24) for removing any remaining part of a cut tablet that protrudes from the recess.

Description: TABLET REDUCER Technical Field The invention relates to apparatus for cutting medical tablets to a desired size. Background art In the treatment of various medical conditions, patients are often prescribed anti-anxiety drugs/anxiolytics in tablet form. A long course of treatment with such drugs may result in the patient's becoming dependent on them so that if the treatment were to be suddenly discontinued, unpleasant withdrawal symptoms would follow. Furthermore, patients may seek an increase in their dosage because of a perceived reduction in efficacy, thus further increasing their dependency. The potential risks of increasing dosage are self evident and patients may suffer debilitating side effects. A patient in such a case who wishes to cease the use of the addictive drug must undergo a prolonged and difficult process of withdrawal. In the past, the method generally adopted for such a process was to increase very gradually the intervals between taking the drug-containing tablets so that the average dose was steadily reduced. However, there were two problems with that approach. Firstly, continually changing the interval at which the tablets were taken prevented the patent from adopting or maintaining a daily routine. Such a routine proves to be a great help to the patient in keeping rigidly to the programme of withdrawal decided upon. Secondly, taking a tablet containing a fixed dose of the drug at ever-increasing intervals results in a concentration of the drug in the patient's body that varies greatly over time, the concentration being high shortly after a tablet is taken and low at the end of the interval before the succeeding tablet is taken. Such a variable drug concentration is much more difficult for the patient to cope with than a slowly and uniformly decreasng concentration would be. Of course, many of the potentially addictive drugs are available in tablets containing different doses, but those doses generally differ by large enough amounts to make the transition from one type of tablet to another traumatic for a patient. Devices have been sold that attempt to alleviate the problem of fixed dose tablets by providing means for cutting them in two. However, the tablets are not accurately halved by such devices, so that the resulting pieces of tablet do not contain a reliably constant dose of the drug. Also, cutting the tablets into two still does not provide sufficient flexibility to allow an ideally gradual withdrawal programme. It was not practical with the available cutting devices to subdivide the tablets further. Disclosure of Invention The invention provides a tablet reducer comprising a tablet tray having a series of recesses of graduated depths formed therein, each recess being suitable for holding a tablet so that a part of the tablet protrudes from the recess; a blade for sliding across the surface of the tablet tray to cut off substantially all of the protruding part of a tablet; and a file for sliding across the surface of the tablet tray to abrade any part of a tablet that remains protruding from its recess after the tablet has been cut by the blade. Preferably, the tablet reducer comprises a single unit, in which the file is slidably attached to the tablet tray and the blade is formed on an edge of the file. The tablet reducer may have several series of recesses suitable for different sizes and shapes of tablet and preferably includes a dust tray and a lid. It is envisaged that the tablet reducer will be contructed from injection moulded parts of plastics materials such as polystyrene. However, other suitable materials could be used such as steel for the file and blade. A survey of the anti-depressant tablets available in the United Kingdom has revealed that they have only three different shapes and sizes. Therefore a single tablet reducer containing three suitably chosen series of recesses can be used for any available tablet. The tablet tray may be made easily replaceable so that alternative shapes of tablet could be accommodated. A patient wishing to reduce intake of a drug begins by placing the tablet in the deepest recess of the appropriate series for the size and shape of the tablet. The patient then uses the blade and file to remove the protruding part of the tablet, leaving a portion of the tablet within the recess which contains a dose of the drug reduced by a small amount compared with the original tablet. Each time a tablet is taken, the same procedure is carried out, using the deepest recess so that the reduced dose is exactly repeated on each occasion, until the patient feels co fortable with that reduced dose. Thereafter, the next shallowest recess in the series may be used to reduce the dose from each tablet a little further. When the patient is comfortable with the further reduced dose, the next shallowest recess again may be used, and so on until the patient has adapted to the dose provided by the shallowest of all the recesses. At that time, the patient may stop taking the drug entirely or gradually increase the interval between successive ones of the very tiny doses then provided by each cut tablet. Medical experience suggests that seven is a suitable number of recesses in a series to provide a sufficiently gradual withdrawal programme while retaining a simple construction of the tablet tray. The depths of the recesses need not increase linearly along the series but should be chosen so that the volumes of tablet remaining after they have been cut provide a suitable succession of doses to make the withdrawal process as easy as possible. Each of the recesses may be labelled, or certain of them may be made distinctive, for example by angling those recesses relative to the remainder. It has been found psychologically beneficial to identify particular recesses in this way, to provide a sense of achievement on reaching that stage of the withdrawal programme. Presenting the tablets at an angle to the blade may also make them easier to cut. If apertures are provided through the tablet tray in the bottom of each recess, then dust produced in adjacent recesses by the filing of a tablet can pass through the apertures and be collected in a dust tray below for easy disposal. Without a dust tray, the apertures may serve the additional purpose of easing removal of a tablet from its recess. A lid may protect the tablet reducer, reduce the escape of dust when the reducer is not in use and provide additional surfaces for the presentation of information and instructions. Brief description of drawings FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a tablet reducer according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view of the constituent parts of the tablet reducer of FIGURE 1. FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of tablet reducer according to the invention. FIGURE 4 is a schematic illustration of a series of recesses in a tablet reducer according to the invention. Best mode for carrying out the invention Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention. The tablet reducer has a body formed from an upper moulding (2) and a lower moulding (4) which are rigidly fastened together. The upper body moulding (2) contains a hole (6) into which a tablet tray (8) is removably clipped by means of lugs (10) and slots (12) . The tablet tray (8) contains, in its upper surface, three series of recesses (14) . Each series comprises, in this embodiment, a row of seven recesses (14 a-g in Figure 4), the central recess (16) in each row being at a different angle from the others in the row. Each recess (14) is shaped to receive a tablet, the recesses in respective series being shaped to receive differently shaped tablets. Within each series, the depth of the successive recesses (14 a-g) along the row gradually decreases from at one end, a deep recess (14a) from which only a small part of a tablet (18a) contained therein would protrude to, at the other end of the row, a shallow recess (14g) from which almost all of a tablet (18g) contained therein would protrude. Around the upper body moulding (2) is clipped a file moulding (20) , which is able to slide along the upper body moulding (2) over the entire length of the tablet tray (8). The leading edge of the file moulding (20) forms a blade (22) which, when the file moulding is passed across the surface of the tablet tray ( 8) cuts any tablet protruding from a recess (14) therein. The lower face of the file moulding (20) , adjacent to the surface of the tablet tray (8) has a file surface (24) moulded thereon which, when it is passed back and forth across the surface of the tablet tray (8) abrades any tablet protruding from a recess (14) therein, until the cut surface of the tablet is level with the surface of the tablet tray (8). Hinge portions (26,28) of the upper and lower body mouldings (2,4) clasp between them the hinge of a lid (30), which can be closed to cover all the recesses (14) of the tablet tray (8) and to hold the file moulding (20) fixed in the position shown in Figure 1. In the bottom of each recess (14) is an aperture (not illustrated) through the tablet tray (8) which allows dust generated by the action of the file to escape, rather than collecting in the recesses. A dust tray (32) may be clipped into a hole (34) in the lower body moulding to collect the dust passing through the apertures. Alternatively, the apertures may be used to assist from below the removal of tablets from their recesses (14) . The alternative embodiment of Figure 3 also comprises a body formed from upper and lower mouldings (102,104) and contains a replaceable tablet tray (108) having a single series of recesses (114). However, in this embodiment, the lid (120) which covers the recesses (114) when the tablety reducer is not in use is opened by a sliding motion across the surface of the tablet tray (108) . With this arrangement, one end of the lid (120) is shaped to form the blade (122) for cutting tablets and the underside of the lid is moulded to form the file surface (124) for abrading the tablets.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A tablet reducer comprising: a tablet tray having a series of recesses of graduated depths formed therein, each recess being suitable for holding a tablet so that a part of the tablet protrudes from the recess; a blade for sliding across the surface of the tablet tray to cut off substantially all of the protruding part of a tablet; and a file for sliding across the surface of the tablet tray to abrade any part of a tablet that remains protruding from its recess after the tablet has been cut by the blade. 2. A tablet reducer according to claim 1, wherein the file is attached to the tablet tray so as to allow the file to slide across the surface of the tablet tray. 3. A tablet reducer according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the blade is formed on one edge of the file. 4. A tablet reducer according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the tablet tray has a plurality of series of recesses, each series being suitable for a different size or shape of tablet. 5. A tablet reducer according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the tablet tray has at the bottom of each recess, an aperture therethrough. 6. A tablet reducer according to claim 5, further comprising a dust tray removably attached below the tablet tray for trapping dust that has escaped through the apertures. 7. A tablet reducer according to claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a lid which, in its closed position, covers all of the recesses. 8. A tablet reducer according to claim 7, wherein the lid is slidably attached to the tablet tray and the file is formed on the lid.

Inventors: THORPE SHIRLEY ANN, THORPE, SHIRLEY, ANN
Applicants: SEA BAND UK LIMITED, SEA-BAND UK LIMITED
Application year: 1991
Main classification: A61J7
IPC codes: A61J7