Abstract:
An oral dosage medicinal composition for ruminant animals is provided which is processed in a manner to cause a medically effective amount of drug contained therein to be slowly released to the animal by virtue of distribution of the medicament throughout a dry, essentially water-insoluble, slowly digestible matrix. Even slower but therapeutically effective drug release is unexpectedly experienced in feverish animals. A compressed dosage form for oral administration is prepared by first treating an admixture of originally essentially undenatured native milk solids and the drug with a sufficient quantity of an aldehydic agent to insolubilize the milk protein solids. This treated composition is then preferably granulated and the granules compressed under sufficient pressure to form a densified body which is not only resistant to disintegration for over 24 hours when tumbled in water, but also has a specific gravity at least greater than about 1 to cause the dosage form upon administration to a ruminant animal to have a tendency to sink in the rumino-recticular fluids and become entrapped in the rumino-recticular compartments.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 356,717, filed May 3, 1973, now abandoned, under the same title. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This invention relates to a two-component pharmaceutical preparation which is characterized by the property of providing a prolonged release of the medicament component due to gradual and essentially uniform digestion of exposed surfaces of the supporting matrix component. The medicament composition is made up of originally essentially undenatured milk solids which are first reacted with an aldehydic insolubilizing agent in the presence of the drug, granulated, and finally compressed into solid dosage form. More particularly, it is concerned with such preparations and methods of their production which provide extremely efficient prolonged release of drugs in ruminant animals such as cattle and sheep. 
     In the treatment of illnesses indigenous to ruminants, it is often extremely desirable to provide a medicament composition which has the property of slowly and steadily releasing the drug into the bloodstream of the host. For example, when cattle become ill from diseases such as that commonly referred to as &#34;shipping fever&#34;, it is generally necessary to treat them daily with one of the sulfonamide or antibiotic drugs for a period of several days in order to overcome infectious processes, lower their body temperatures and alleviate other debilitating symptoms. In the past this has normally been accomplished by repeated doses of the appropriate drug in order to maintain a therapeutically active amount thereof in the bloodstream of the affected animal. As can be appreciated, this daily procedure increases costs and is a time-consuming procedure, especially when there are a large number of sich animals which must be treated as often as once every 24 hours. Therefore, there is a great need for a method of treatment which allows administration of a dosage form containing a therapeutic drug agent which is of such lasting duration that the necessity for repeatedly administering drug doses to the ruminant animal over an extended period is avoided. 
     The prolonged release medicament compositions of the prior art can be grouped into four general classes. First, some compositions depend upon retarded dissolution to provide their prolonged release capabilities. An example would be capsules which contain mixtures of beadlets coated with varying numbers or thicknesses of coatings of slowly soluble substances which must be dissolved at varying rates, depending primarily upon the various thicknesses of the coatings. 
     Another type of prior art composition attempts to produce the desirable prolonged release qualities by coating extremely small granules or whole tablets of medicament with tanned gelatin or collagenic films which are poorly soluble, but slowly digestible or leachable. 
     Yet another type of prolonged release medicament employs a physical wicking action through pores in a matrix which surrounds the medicinal drug. Examples of this type of prolonged release formulation include those characterized by porous plastic or other insoluble or water repellant carriers whose pores contain and slowly release medicament by an aqueous leaching process. 
     Finally, a number of formulations have achieved a limited prolonged release capability by attaching medicament molecules to an ion exchange resin so that the medicament will be released when exposed to specific pH environments in certain regions of the gastrointestinal tract. 
     These prior attempts at producing a satisfactory prolonged release composition have met with only limited success. A primary problem has been the necessity for repeated dosing of the animal because of the relatively rapid release rate of the medicament making them effective for only comparatively short periods of time. More significantly, however, the rate of medicament release from these compositions is heavily dependant upon a generous water content or the presence of relatively specific narrow pH ranges in certain regions of the gastrointestinal tract at certain critical time intervals after treatment of the mammal. Hence, the release patterns can be seriously affected by varying peristaltic activity, pH aberrations or water content in the gastrointestinal tract. Since these factors characteristically vary considerably and cannot be depended upon in sick animals, most of these prolonged release compositions tend to be unpredictable and therefore undesirable in performance. Moreover, these prior art prolonged release dosage forms are characterized by an unpredictability in performance and inefficiency in medicament release, which detracts from their usefulness in practice. In addition, the methods necessary to produce these compositions are often very expensive and difficult to consistently duplicate. 
     Therefore, there is a decided need in the art for a prolonged release medicament composition which has significantly enhanced prolonged release properties and is also characterized by a uniform and predictable release of the medicament under widely varying conditions of pH and water content in the gastrointestinal tract of the host ruminants. Furthermore, the present invention when used in ruminant animals, has the very unique property of a direct relationship between the degree of fever and duration of the prolonged release period. For example, the higher the fever, the more prolonged the release. Other slow release boluses of the present art designed for use in ruminants do not have this desirable characteristic. In fact, most of them exhibit a shorter release period in feverish animals. 
     SUMMARY 
     Accordingly, it has been discovered that the aboveoutlined problems and deficiencies can be overcome by providing a prolonged release composition for the treatment of ruminant animals which comprises a first matrix component of insolubilized originally essentially native milk solids that have been intimately admixed with and support a second drug component which is present in therapeutically significent amounts. 
     In general, a compressed, self-sustaining dosage form according to the invention is made up of a therapeutically significant amount of a drug intimately entrapped within and uniformly distributed throughout an essentially water-insoluble but slowly digestible matrix made from milk solids which were originally essentially undenatured. As used herein, the phrases &#34;native milk&#34; and &#34;essentially undenatured&#34; refer to milk solids, whether derived from whole, condensed or skim milk in either dry or liquid form. 
     In practice, the compressed dosage form is produced by first admixing the native milk solids with the drug. Then a predetermined amount of an insolubilizing aldehyde agent such as an aqueous solution of formaldehyde is added that serves to form a cross-linked, lattice-type matrix with the milk protein which renders the milk solids essentially water-insoluble but slowly digestible. The mixture is next granulated, dried and then subjected to sufficient compression to form a relatively dense, self-sustaining oral dosage form. As an alternative to granulation, spray drying of the reacted milk solids and drug may be carried out. It is preferable that the compressed dosage form be capable of resisting significant disintegration when tumbled in water at a temperature of about 37° C. for at least 24 hours. 
     In the development of the present invention, a number of significant and surprising discoveries were made. One important finding was that only native milk (i.e., essentially undenatured) was operable as the protein matrix. While either whole or nonfat native milk is usable, the constituent proteins extracted therefrom do not yield the desired properties when used as the matrix component. For example, casein or caseinates, which are the chief components of milk, do not serve as an adequate protein matrix when employed alone. Moreover, a recombination of the components of milk (e.g., lactose added to calcium and sodium caseinates) also fails to exhibit the requisite properties. Other unrelated substances such as gelatins, collagen, keratin, soy flour, wheat germ meal, whey, hemoglobin, pinto bean meal, cottonseed meal, soy flour and soybean meal have been tested in the development of the present invention, but all have failed to pass some criteria necessary for the production of satisfactory prolonged release compressed drug compositions. Therefore, it is believed that the specific morphology of native milk is an essential feature which allows the milk to act as a prolonged release matrix after treatment with an appropriate aldehyde insolubilizing agent and compression into a self-sustaining body. 
     Aldehydic insolubilizing agents for use in the present invention must of course be capable of reacting with native milk to give the necessary degree of chemical modification in the resulting support matrix in order to produce the desired release patterns in the final composition. Further, any excess amounts of insolubilizing agent must be removable from or rendered essentially nontoxic in the final product, and incapable of reacting to any significant degree with the drug component. In preferred forms, aqueous solutions of insolubilizing agents which have an aldehydic functioning group thereon have been found to be especially advantageous. This classification includes solutions of formaldehyde as the preferred agent. However, aqueous solutions of such water-soluble, volatile, aliphatic aldehyde compounds as glutaraldehyde, acetaldehyde, butyraldehyde, propionaldehyde having from 1 to 5 carbon atoms are also useful. 
     Drugs which have utility in the present invention include, but are not limited to, sulfamethazine, sulfathiazole, sulfadimethoxine and similar sulfonamides. However, other medicaments such as common aspirin, organo-phosphates and the tetracyclines are fullly operable and have excellent prolonged release characteristics. 
     In the preferred preparation technique, the two phases of the composition (i.e., native milk and drug) are first thoroughly admixed and the aldehyde insolubilizing agent added to effect cross-linking or other chemical modifications of the milk to form a matrix which upon subsequent granulation and drying of the composition entraps and supports the drug in the matrix. The final step involves compression of the granules into a shape which provides an effective drug dosage for administration to sick ruminants. For example, in preparing boluses for administration to cattle, the resultant self-sustaining bodies should preferably resist significant disintegration when tumbled in water at about 37° C. for at least 24 hours. In this way, the bodies retain their integrity in water, but are slowly digestible by proteolytic digestive enzymes or bacterial floral enzymes found in the stomach and gastrointestinal tract of cattle or sheep. 
     While the physical and chemical actions responsible for the prolonged release effects in such compositions are not wholly understood, it is believed that the digestive enzymes and/or bacterial floral enzymes present in the digestive tract of the host ruminant act to slowly digest the insolubilized milk support matrix, thus releasing the entrapped drug. These enzymes and/or microorganims apparently attack the exposed surface of the tablet or bolus and thus slowly and progressively digest the matrix component; therefore, new surfaces are continually being exposed and the rate at which drug is released can be assumed to be approximately proportional to the total surface area exposed at a given time. Hence, the release rate is initially high and thereafter slowly and steadily decreases over time as the selfsustaining body diminishes in size due to digestion. 
    
    
     DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a graphical representation showing comparative prolonged release tests with sick cattle between a single administration of boluses produced according to the present invention as opposed to an equivalent total dosage of a conventional bolus of the prior art, the latter requiring four intermittent administrations spaced 24 hours apart; 
     FIG. 2 is a graphical representation showing the effect of initial body temperature of sick cattle upon the prolonged release characteristics of boluses made in accordance with the instant invenion; 
     FIG. 3 is a graphical representation of the comparative prolonged release results obtained from the administration to both sick and healthy cattle of equivalent doses of boluses made according to the invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a graphical representation of the comparative prolonged release rate results obtained from the administration to two groups of sick cattle of equivalent doses of boluses made according to the invention, one group being given boluses made from water-treated granules, while the other was given boluses made from formaldehyde-treated granules; 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevational view showing the typical form of a compressed bolus produced according to the invention, in actual size; 
     FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the bolus shown in FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is a rear elevational view of the bolus shown in FIG. 5; and 
     FIG. 8 is an end elevational view of the bolus shown in FIG. 5. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     By way of example, a bolus 10, shown for illustrative purposes only as being suitable for administration to sick cattle, preferably comprises a compressed, solid, relatively dense self-sustaining body of the size depicted in FIG. 5-8. Although the precise shape and physical dimensions of the bolus are not critical, it is contemplated that it be sized and configured so that it is usable in universally employed bolus guns familiar to those skilled in the art. Therefore, as shown in those drawings, the bolus 10 includes an arcuate top face 12 and a similarly configured bottom face 14. Connecting the two opposed faces is a substantially vertical, peripherally extending continuous sidewall 16. For convenience, an indentation 18 is fashioned in the approximate center of top face 12 so that thwe bolus can be easily broken into approximate half portions. The bolus illustrated full size in FIGS. 5-8 is especially adapted for administration to cattle. Sheep boluses would be correspondingly smaller. 
     It is to be understood, however, that other types of compressed oral dosage forms of varying shapes and densities can be produced as desired in accordance with this invention. All that is required is that the dried insolubilized milk and drug composition be compressed to form a self-sustaining body that can be orally administered in conventional manner to the intended ruminant host. 
     In order to facilitate an understanding of the methods of the present invention, the following Examples detail the critical steps as well as the unique properties of the medicament compositions ultimately produced. It is to be understood, however, that the Examples are for the purposes of illustration only, and are not in any way to be taken as specific limitations upon the overall scope of the invention. 
     EXAMPLE I 
     In order to produce boluses especially useful for administration to ruminants, the following processing technique has proved to be useful in production scale runs. 
     555 kilograms (kg.) U.S.P. grade sulfamethazine is thoroughly mixed in a large ribbon blender with 255 kg. of instant essentially undenatured nonfat dry milk until the two components are initimately and thoroughly admixed. A 1.5% by weight aqueous solution of formaldehyde is then prepared in the ratio of 40.5 cc of 37% by weight formaldehyde solution diluted with tap wter to make a total volume of 1,000 cc. A total of approximately 269 liters of such solution is mixed with the native dried milk and sulfamethazine admixture in a conventional pharmaceutical &#34;pony&#34; blender. 
     After complete mixing of these ingredients, the resulting product is granulated with an oscillating granulator using a No. 4 mesh screen. These granules are then spread onto large trays and allowed to dry overnight at approximately 140° F. 
     Following drying, 1 kg. of pharmaceutical grade Carbopol 934P (acrylic acid cross-linked with polyallyl sucrose, sold by the B. F. Goodrich Company) is dissolved in 270 liters slightly warmed 99% aqueous solution of isopropyl alcohol, and the resulting solution is slowly added to the dried granules in a pony mixer. A calcium hydroxide suspension produced by suspending 12 kg. of Ca(OH) 2  in 30 liters of isopropyl alcohol is then slowly added to the foregoing while mixing continues until all of the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. The resulting product is again put on trays and allowed to dry overnight at approximtely 140° F. followed by granulation through a No. 5 screen (The Carbopol 934P, calcium hydroxide and isopropyl alcohol do not affect the prolonged released capabilities of the boluses produced by this method. Carbopol 934P is added merely to facilitate compression of the granules and to enhance the appearance and handling characteristics of the final product, while Ca(OH) 2  is added to precipitate and hence facilitate drying of Carbopol 934P.) 
     Following the second drying and granulation steps, the granulated mixture is placed in a large ribbon blender and 135 kg. of U.S.P. grade sulfamethazine and 9 kg. of magnesium stearate are added thereto. This added drug substantially &#34;fills&#34; any interstices remaining in the milk matrix granules, while the stearate serves merely as a conventional lubricant to aid in compression of the self-sustaining bodies. 
     Standard sized boluses for administration to cattle as depicted in FIGS. 5-8 can be produced, or dosage forms suitable for sheep, for example, can be formed. This is accomplished in a bolus press capable of a compression of approximately 16 tons per square inch. The resulting bolus has a density greater than 1 and preferably about 1.23 grams/cubic centimeter. The chemical composition of each bolus as described in the example is: 
     
         ______________________________________sulfamethazine       22.50  gramsnonfat dry milk      8.50   gramsformaldehyde         traceCarbopol 934P        0.06   gramscalcium hydroxide    0.40   gramsisopropyl alcohol    tracemagnesium stearate   0.32   grams______________________________________ 
    
     The following experiments demonstrate the unexpected specificity and criticality of employing native (i.e., essentially undenatured) milk which has been insolubilized with an aldehydic agent as the drug carrier in the prolonged release medicament compositions of the present invention. These formulations exhibit required resistance to disintegration as well as prolonged release properties. 
     EXAMPLE II 
     a. A quantity of nonfat dried milk was dissolved in water and denatured by steam autoclaving at 121° C. for 45 minutes, then dried at 40° C., ground to a fine powder and used to make boluses as described in Example I (except for omission of the Carbopol 934P). These boluses appeared firm and hard but they disintegrated in 3 minutes when tumbled in tap water at 37° C. (U.S.P. disintegration test). Obviously, with such a short disintegration time, it would not be possible to obtain prolonged release effect; therefore, the autoclaved formulation was not tested in vivo. By contract, boluses made in accordance with Example I (again omitting Carbopol 934P) and thus containing essentially undenatured dried milk reacted with formaldehyde, resisted disintegration for 168 hours. 
     b. 350 gms. of nonfat dried milk was denatured by boiling with 10 gms. of calcium chloride (the latter was added to facilitate denaturation since it is known to disrupt hydrogen bonding). A granulation including sulfamethazine was made as described in Example I hereof and the granules were digested in 1% papain solution. 
     c. An identical granulation was made as described in section (a) of this Example, except undenatured milk was used in the formulation, and the granules were digested in 1T papain solution. 
     The digestion results for the papain tests of pargraphs (b) and (c) are as follows: 
     
                       TABLE 1______________________________________         % of Drug Released by Digestion           1 Hr.  3 Hrs.   5 Hrs.______________________________________Undenatured Milk [Ex. II(c)]             3.2%     26.2%    27.6%Denatured Milk [Ex.II(b)]             98.65%   0.69%    0.66%______________________________________ 
    
     Small (9/16 inch) tablets were also made from the granulations of the preceding table and disintegration rates (U.S.P. method -- tumbled in water) were compared: 
     
                       TABLE 2______________________________________Undenatured Milk [Ex.II(c)]  4+ hoursDenatured Milk [Ex.II(b)] 20 minutes______________________________________ 
    
     From the above experiments it is obvious that denatured milk is non-functional in the process of this invention. 
     EXAMPLE III 
     a. Native condensed whole milk -- 384 ml. of commercial essentially undenatured condensed milk was added to 215 gms. of sulfamethazine to produce a slurry of fairly liquid consistency. 4.2 cc. of formaldehyde (0.04287 cc. of 37% aqueous formaldehyde per gm. protein) was added to the slurring and the resulting mixture was dried to a consistency suitable for granulation. The material was then granulated through a No. 4 screen and dried for about 24 hours. Magnesium stearate lubricant was next added and 20 gm. boluses formed therefrom. When tumbled in water at 37° C., the boluses remained substantially intact in excess of six days. 
     b. In a manner similar to that outlined in section (a) of this Example, a number of othr substances were tested in order to determine their prolonged release capabilities. In each instance a number of threshold criteria were employed to screen those compounds totally unfit for use in a compressed oral dosage form. For example, if a given compound did not produce good discrete granules or if the granules were incapable of forming a self-sustaining body upon compression, they were not subjected to further tests. Table 3 hereunder tabulates the results obtained when the specified matrix substance was first admixed with U.S.P. grade sulfamethazine and a 1.5% aqueous solution of formaldehyde, then granulated, dried, and finally compressed into a solid dosage form (if possible to do so). The compressed forms as applicable were tumbled in water at 37° C. to determine relative disintegration times. 
     In those instances where the initial criteria were met, water disintegration and optionally in vivo durational effect tests were performed to determine the desirability of a particular compound for use in the present invention (Tables 4 and 5). 
     In each instance in Tables 4 and 5, 29% of the named compound was used in conjunction with 71% sulfamethazine. The matrix component was treated with an amount of aqueous formaldehyde such that the formaldehyde-protein ratio was about 1:23. The production and experimental protocols used were identical with those outlined in Example I, omitting Carbopol 934P. All percentages are by weight. As can be appreciated from a study of Tables 4 and 5, only the formulas of Experiments Nos. 3, 4, 7, 8, 17, 18 and 19 meet the requirements for use in a compressed oral dosage form. 
     
                                           TABLE 3__________________________________________________________________________            Sulfamethazine                    1.5% FormaldehydeMatrix Material        Gms.            (gms)   (cc.)     Test Results__________________________________________________________________________Casein       290 710     440       Would not granulateBovine Serum                       Tablets disintegrated in water inAlbumin      29  71      37        1 to 4 hoursHeat Denatured BovineSerum Albumin        29  71      84        Tablets disintegrated in five minutesDried Whole EggSolids       29  71      56        Tablets disintegrated in five minutesHeat Denatured DriedWhole Solids 29  71      55        Tablets disintegrated in one minuteDry Live Yeast        29  71      60        Tablets disintegrated in less than one                              hr.Heat Denatured DryLive Yeast   29  71      63        Tablets disintegrated in about one                              minuteDried Egg Whites        29  71      49        Tablets disintegrated in 3.5 minutesHeat Denatured Egg                 Tablets disintegrated in less thanWhites       29  71      67        two minutesPinto Bean Meal        29  71      66        Tablets disintegrated in ten minutesKeratin      290 710     600       Would not compressSoybean Meal 29  71      65        Tablets disintegrated within secondsDefatted Wheat GermFlour        29  71      75        Tablets disintegrated within secondsSoy Flour Protein        29  71      110       Tablets disintegrated within 30__________________________________________________________________________                              seconds 
    
     
                                           TABLE 4__________________________________________________________________________                                              Duration                                                    Duraton                   Disinte-                         Disinte-                              Dissolu-                                   Onset      of Thera-                                                    of Thera-                   gration                         gration                              tion Time                                   Time of    peutic                                                    peutic                                                    -   Dissolu- Time                                                     of Time of of                                                    Bolus Thera-  Blo                                                    od Level Blood                                                    Level             tion Time                   Small Tab-                         Bolus                              in Ultra-                                   peutic                                        time of                                              in Healthy                                                    in Sick             of Gran-                   let Tumbled                         Tumbled                              sonic                                   Blood                                        Peak Blood                                              Cattle                                                    Cattle                                                    -Ex. Formula  ule                                                    s in in Water                                                    at in                                                    Water Papain Leve                                                    l Level                                                    in (Post (PostNo.   No.  Description             Papain                   37° C.                         at 37° C.                              Soln.                                   in Cattle                                        Cattle                                              Adm.) Adm.)__________________________________________________________________________   Sulfamethazine in1  N.A. gelatin capsule                 2 hrs      84 hrs   270101   Sulfamethazine,       20 hrs                              1 hr,                              min2  274080   Dry Milk, H.sub.2 O             1 hr  28 hrs          6 hrs                                        24 hrs      88 hrs   Sulfamethazine,   172090   Dry Milk, H.sub.2 O,  168 hrs                              21/2 hrs                                   9 hrs                                        48 hrs      144 hrs   272210   Formaldehyde3       1:234  277140   Same as #3             5 hrs 4 hrs   Same as #4 but   used heat5  277140   denatured milk             1 hr  20 min6  279011   Same as #5            3 min   Same as #3   except added 0.2%   9931-   Carbopol and               21/27  11-B Calcium Hydroxide          3 hrs                                   9 hrs                                        24 hrs                                              72 hrs   9931-8  06-D Same as #7                 21/2 hrs                                   12 hrs                                        48 hrs                                              96 hrs                                                    138 hrs   Same as #3, 7 &amp; 8   except hardness   reduced from   212.5 to 155 units   and mag. stearate9  031874   from 1% to 0.5%       264 hrs                              3 hrs                                   15 hrs                                        48 hrs                                              114 hrs   Same as #3 and 4   272220   except substituted    3 min   37220   gelatin for dried             5 hrs       7 min     1 hr 24 hrs                                              68 hrs10 178111   milk            1 min   Same as #10   except increased   formaldehyde to11 372220   1:3.45    7 hrs       7 min     3 hrs                                        24 hrs                                              66 hrs   Same as #3 except   collagen substi-   tuted for dry milk   and sulfathiazole12 274220   for sulfamethazine                   40 min                         2 hrs     7 hrs                                        7 hrs 10 hrs   Same as #7 &amp; 8   except casein sub-   stituted for dry             Would not13 172070   milk      granulate   Same as #7 &amp; 8   except substi-   271110   tuted caseinate 10 sec                         13 hrs14 275180   for dried milk  3 min   Same as #7 &amp; 8   except calcium   273110   caseinate for             75 min                   13 hrs15 274180   dried milk             42 min   Same as #3 except   used Na + Ca   caseinates plus   377110   lactose in simu-16 271190   late dried milk 10 min__________________________________________________________________________ 
    
     
                                           TABLE 5__________________________________________________________________________                                              Duration                                                    Duration                   Disinte-                         Disinte-                              Dissolu-                                   Onset      of Thera-                                                    of Thera-                   gration                         gration                              tion Time                                   Time of    peutic                                                    peutic             Dissolu-                   Time of                         Time of                              of Bolus                                   Thera-     Blood Blood             tion Time                   Small Tab-                         Bolus                              in Ultra-                                   peutic                                        Time of                                              Level Level             of Gran-                   let Tumbled                         Tumbled                              sonic                                   Blood                                        Peak Blood                                              in Healthy                                                    in SickEx.   Formula        ules in                   in Water at                         in Water                              Papain                                   Level                                        Level in                                              Sheep                                                    Sheep (PostNo.    No. Description             Papain                   37° C.                         at 37° C.                              Soln.                                   in Sheep                                        Sheep Adm.) Adm.)__________________________________________________________________________   Same as #7 but   contains 1%   179030-   Carbopol instead17 P    of 0.2%                         11 hrs                                        32 hrs                                              70 hrs   Same as #3 but18 179030   not compressed                   3 hrs                                        32 hrs                                              63 hrs   Same as #7 but   not compressed   179030-   and contains 1%19 A    Carbopol                         1 hr                                        24 hrs                                              57 hrs   179030-   Same as #120 C    (gelatin capsule)                1 hr                                         8 hrs                                              47 hrs__________________________________________________________________________ 
    
     Additional studies were made as recorded in Example IV hereunder to determine if formaldehyde treatment of a mixture containing liquid skim milk and a medicament (i.e., sodium sulfathiazole) would extend the duration of observed plasma levels when compared to an untreated control mixture. 
     EXAMPLE IV 
     Eight mixed breed feeder pigs were divided into two groups of four each. Animals in one group were designated as principals while animals in the other group were designated as positive controls. Each group consisted of two males and two females. The average weight of the principals was 120 lbs., while the controls averaged 117 lbs. 
     All animals were conditioned to the skim milk by removal of their water and feed source each afternoon, with skim milk given the following morning. Feed and water were given after the milk was consumed. One quart (946 ml.) of skim milk/pig/day was fed for two days, followed by 11/2 quarts (1,419 ml.)/pig/day for two days and then 2 quarts (1,892 ml.)/ pig/day for two days. 
     The mixtures administered to each principal consisted of sodium sulfathiazole (N.F., Granular, Merck Lot No. F221990) stirred and dissolved into 2 quarts (1,892 ml.) of skim milk so that it contained 97.2 mg. (1.5 grains) sodium sulfathiazole/lb. body weight. Formalin containing 37% formaldehyde was then added to this mixture to equal 0.5% by volume (9.47 ml./2qt). The mixtures were allowed to stand at room temperature 48 hours before administration. 
     The mixtures administered to each positive control were prepared in the same manner except the formalin was omitted. These mixtures were also allowed to stand at room temperature for 48 hours. 
     All solids and liquids were withdrawn from the pigs at 4:00 p.m. one afternoon and replaced after treatment at approximately 6:50 p.m. (principals) and 7:30 p.m. (controls) the following day. Preadministration blood samples were collected and mixed with potassium oxalate, as were samples collected at 1, 3, 5, 7, 12, 18 and 24 hours post-administration. 
     Blood plasma samples from the pigs were assayed for sulfathiazole by a spectrophotometric adaptation of the Bratton-Marshall reaction with results expressed as mg. % free sulfathiazole. The values listed in Tables 6 and 7 have been corrected for the preadministration levels observed. 
     Results: 
     Vomitus was observed from 3 of 4 pigs receiving the formaldehyde-treated mixtures. Volume estimates are included in Table 6. The vomiting occurred with 4 to 11 minutes postadministration. No vomiting was observed in ay of the positive control animals. All animals appeared to be in good health prior to, during and after the study. 
     The sulfathiazole plasma levels for the two groups (Tables 6 and 7) showed that pigs given the formaldehyde-treated mixture exhibited effective thereapeutic plasma levels (5 mg. %) at none of the sampling intervals, while the positive control group had such levels until the fifth hour post-administration. 
     
                       TABLE 6______________________________________Principal GroupFormula:   Sodium Sulfathiazole in 2 quarts (1,892 ml.)      skim milk containing formalin (37%) 0.5% by      volume. Stored at room temperature for 48      hours before administration.Dosage:    97.2 ml. (11/2 grains) Sodium Sulfathiazole/      lb. body weight.______________________________________Pig     Time (Hrs Post-Administration)No.     1      3       5    7     12   18    24______________________________________43.sup.2   1.3.sup.1          4.3     2.4  2.1   0.1  0.0   0.044      3.5    6.2     3.8  2.7   0.4  0.0   0.049.sup.3   1.3    1.7     0.7  1.2   0.3  0.0   0.050.sup.4   0.3    0.7     0.7  1.4   0.2  0.2   0.0Average 1.6    3.2     1.9  1.9   0.3  0.05  0.0______________________________________ .sup.1 Values in mg. % free sulfathiazole in plasma .sup.2 Vomitus observed - Total approximately 1 cup (236 ml.) .sup.3 Vomitus observed - Total approximately 41/2 cups (1,062 ml.) .sup.4 Vomitus observed - Total 1+ cup (236+ ml.) 
    
     
                       TABLE 7______________________________________Control GroupFormula:  Sodium Sulfathiazole in 2 quarts (1,892 ml.)     skim milk. Stored 48 hours at room temperature     before administration.Dosage:   97.2 mg. (11/2 grains) sodium sulfathiazole/     lb. body weight.______________________________________Pig     Time (Hrs Post-Administration)No.     1      3       5    7     12   18    24______________________________________45      9.5.sup.1          8.9     6.8  3.6   1.5  1.1   0.146      9.5    8.4     2.7  2.4   2.0  0.3   0.047      9.6    8.0     5.5  3.0   0.5  0.0   0.048      10.0   10.2    6.4  4.7   1.6  1.0   0.0Average 9.7    8.9     5.4  3.4   1.4  0.6   0.03______________________________________ .sup.1 Values in mg. % free sulfathiazole in plasma 
    
     It is therefore apparant that addition of formaldehyde to a solution of skim milk and sodium sulfathiazole was not functional in providing prolonged effective (above 5 mg. %) blood levels. In fact, it did not provide effective blood levels at any time interval. Vomition is a known side effect of orally administered formaldehyde. But even if one should decide to exclude the three principals that vomited, the one remaining pig only had an effective thereapeutic plasma level at the three hour sampling interval, compared to effective levels at the one, three and five hour intervals for the positive conrols. 
     The desirability of employing an insolubilizing agent in order to render the native milk protein matrix insoluble is further demonstrated by the graphical representation of FIG. 4. Graph A thereof shows the prolonged release capabilities of boluses made in the manner outlined wherein native milk was insolubilized with 1.5% aqueous formaldehyde (except that no Carbopol 934P binder was employed), while Graph B shows the results of an administration of boluses made from non-reacted milk granulated only with water. In each instance an equivalent in bolus form of 22.5 grams of sulfamethazine per 100 pounds body weight was given to four cattle sick with &#34;shipping fever&#34;. As can be seen in FIG. 4, aldehydic insolubilization of the granules before granulation and compression materially increases the prolonged release properties of the ultimate product. 
     In contrast to the substances usable in the present invention as the matrix component, it has been found that a much broader class of insolubilizing aldehyde agents can be used. In general, the only limitations upon the aldehydic insolubilizing agent are that it produce the requisite degree of insolubilization in the native milk protein to render the latter (when sufficiently compressed with a medicament) significantly resistant to disintegration in water, and that it be essentially removable or relatively nontoxic to the host ruminant mammal in use and nonreactive with the medicament employed in the finished dosage form. In particular, it has been found that aqueous solutions of aliphatic, relatively volatile aldehydic insolubilizing agents containing from 1 to 5 carbon atoms are particularly useful in this context. While aqueous formaldehyde is the preferred insolubilizing agent, a number of othr aldehydes have been tested and all find utility to a greater or lesser degree. Formaldehyde is especially preferred, however, because it is highly volatile; that is, after the formaldehyde is added to modify the milk protein matrix, any residual amounts can rapidly be substantially entirely removed by evaporation from the granules, thereby preventing any significant toxicity to the host ruminant mammal. For example, in tests run on the boluses produced according to Example I, less than 0.03% by weight of residual formaldehyde was found therein. 
     The following additional Example establishes that various types of aldehydic insolubilizing agents are functional in insolubilizing native milk protein and impart prolonged release characteristics to the drug compositions prepared therefrom. 
     EXAMPLE V 
     Boluses were prepared in accordance with the protocol of Example I except Carbopol 934P was omitted and different aldehydes as identified were substituted for formaldehyde as the milk protein insolubilizing agent. Enzymic dissolution tests were conducted on the granules prior to compression as well as after forming thereof into boluses. 
     
                                           TABLE 8__________________________________________________________________________               Enzymic Dissolution               Test Tumbling of                           Ultrasonic            Bolus          Ratio of               Granules in 1% Papain                           Enzymic  Ultrasonic   Hard-                                                      Bolus          Aldehyde          % Sulfa Released               Dissolution Test                           Dissolution      ness -                                                 Thick-          to Milk          Time (hrs.)               Bolus in    Test in Water                                    Bolus   Enerpac                                                 nessBatch No. Aldehyde Used          Protein               1   3   5    10% Papain                                    Without Papain                                            Wt(gms)                                                 Units                                                      (mm.)__________________________________________________________________________9931-09 Formaldehyde          1:23 5.5 46.0                       48.0                           2 hrs 35 min                                    31 hrs  31.50                                                 210  23.074-102-117 Acetaldehyde          1:10 55.6                   42.5                       1.8 1 hr 35 min                                    --      31.50                                                 260  19.874-102-118 Propionaldehyde          1:10 66.5                   33.0                       0.4 2 hrs 7 min                                    --      30.87                                                 240  19.274-102-119 n-Butyraldehyde          1:10 53.7                   44.0                       2.3 1 hr 43 min                                    --      31.31                                                 190  19.674-102-120 Glutaraldehyde          1:10 28.4                   47.3                       24.3                           1 hr 35 min                                    --      29.14                                                 200  19.0__________________________________________________________________________ 
    
     In view of the foregoing, it is apparent that aqueous solutions of a wide variety of aldehydes are operable to modify the native milk protein matrix in order to provide desirable prolonged release characteristics. 
     An in vivo blood study was conducted using cattle (2 to 4 cows per group) to determine the effects of varying amounts of formaldehyde (the preferred aldehyde) on a slightly modified standard bolus formula described in Example I (i.e., 71% by weight sulfamethazine, 29% native dried milk, but without Carbopol 934P). The following Table 9 shows the various formaldehyde-milk protein ratios employed and levels of sulfamethazine maintained in the test cattle over time. Each cow was given a bolus equivalent 22.5 grams sulfamethazine per 100 pounds body weight. 
     
                       TABLE 9______________________________________SULFAMETHAZINE LEVEL (mg/100 ml whole blood)Formaldehyde-Milk Protein Weight Ratios______________________________________Time  o - No(Hrs) Formaldehyde            1:34.5   1:23   1:6.9  1:2.3______________________________________0     1.4        0.8      0.0    1.3    2.08     15.5       16.4     4.8    5.0    3.324    23.2       23.7     20.9   16.2   8.832    20.4       24.9     22.1   17.8   11.448    11.9       7.6      18.1   14.2   13.256    8.1        4.8      16.5   9.9    11.572    3.7        2.0      7.4    4.8    8.080    2.7        1.3      6.3    3.1    6.196    1.8        --       2.6    1.3    5.2______________________________________ 
    
     From the above Table it can be verified that the release rate can be prolonged by increasing the amount of formaldehyde used, and that for the particular insolubilizing agent, a formaldehyde-milk protein ratio of 1:23 gives the best results. 
     In the use of such aldehydes, it has generally been found necessary to conduct the insolubilizing reaction in the presence of water (as by employing aqueous solutions of the aldehyde in question). This is believed necessary because of two empirically discovered facts. First, when aldehydes are employed in conjunction with anhydrous solvents, good granules cannot be formed. Apparently, it is necessary to have some retained water as water of hydration after drying in order to give the granules the necessary cohesive and elastic properties which facilitate interlocking and binding upon compression. 
     Additionally, the amount of water present in some manner seems to affect the degree and efficiency of the aldehyde-milk insolubilizing reaction; if too little water is present, insufficient insolubilization occurs, and if an excess is present, the resultant granules can become so hard and dense that they fail to adhere upon compression. Therefore, in the use of aldehydic insolubilizing agents, optimum amounts of water are necessary. For the broad category of such agents, a water to total dry content ratio of from about 1:2.5 to 1:10 by weight has advantageously been employed. In the most preferred form, this ratio is about 1:3. 
     It is also desirable in the production of drug formulations according to the invention to minimize as much as possible the total amount of insolubilizing agent employed. For example, if excess amounts of aldehydic insolubilizing agents are used, incompatible side reactions may occur between the agent and the medicament. Therefore, in general the insolubilizing agent should be used in amounts sufficient to give adequate modification of the milk protein matrix while nevertheless minimizing undesirable side reactions. In the case of formaldehyde as shown by Table 9, a formaldehyde to milk-protein ratio of from about 1:50 to 1:2 by weight has been found effective, with a preferred ratio of about 1:23. 
     
                       EXAMPLE VI______________________________________A bolus formulation was made as follows:Sulfamethazine       2,250      gmsNon-fat dried milk   1,000      gmsFormaldehyde 1% solution                771        ccGranulateCarbopol 934         40         gmsIsopropyl alcohol    1,400      ccCalcium hydroxide    40         gmsIsopropyl alcohol    200        cc.DryCompress into 34 gm. bolusesDisintegration time 5 days______________________________________ 
    
     These boluses were administered to two sheep at a dosage of 22.5 gms. per 100 lbs. body weight and blood levels were maintained above 5 mg. % from the 10th to 86th hour. The formaldehyde-protein ratio in this case was 1:47.4. 
     Since the aldehyde functional group is the essential insolubilizing factor, slightly different aldehyde-protein ratio ranges are advantageously used when C 2  to C 5  aldehydes are employed as the protein insolubilization agent in lieu of the preferred formaldehyde reactant agent. Examplary ranges are set forth herein with the best ratios being referenced inside of respective parentheses: 
     
         ______________________________________2 carbon atoms - e.g. acetaldehyde                  1:1 to 1:35 (1:10)3 carbon atoms - e.g. propionaldehyde                  1:1 to 1:25 (1:10)4 carbon atoms - e.g. n-butyraldehyde                  1:1 to 1:20 (1:10)5 carbon atoms - e.g. glutaraldehyde                  1:1 to 1:30 (1:10)______________________________________ 
    
     As discussed previously, virtually all medicaments are operable herein, especially if they are in a powdered or fine granular state and do not substantially react with the insolubilizing aldehyde agent during the formulation of the prolonged release compositions. In the use of particular drugs according to the invention, it may sometimes be necessary to modify the production parameters in order to maintain the chemical integrity of the medicament. For example, drying temperatures of about 140° F. have proven successful when sulfamethazine is employed as the medicament. However, other drugs may undergo deleterious reactions at such temperatures and, therefore, the drying step should be performed at lower temperatures or even at low temperatures and under a vacuum. As a consequence freeze-drying or spray-drying processes may be substituted for the granulation and drying steps detailed in Example I. Any such modifications of the processes disclosed herein will be well within the knowledge of one skilled in the art, however. 
     Exemplary formulations containing different types of drugs are as follows: 
     
                       EXAMPLE VII______________________________________A bolus was made as follows:Sulfadimethoxine     2,250      gms.Non-fat dry milk     1,000      gms.Formaldehyde 1% solution                771        cc.GranulateCarbopol 934         40         gms.Ethyl alcohol 99%    1,407      cc.Calcium hydroxide    40         gms.Ethyl alcohol        1,005      cc.GranulateMagnesium stearate   32         gms.Sulfadimethoxine     450        gmsCompress into 34 gm. bolusesDisintegration time 51/2 days______________________________________ 
    
     These boluses were administered to two sheep at a dosage of 22.5 gm. per 100 lb. body weight and effective blood levels above 5 mg. % were maintained from the 10th to 106th hours post administration. 
     
                       EXAMPLE VIII______________________________________A bolus formulation was made as follows:Tetracycline base    1,000 gms.Non-fat dry milk     1,000 gms.Formalin               43 cc.Water                1,200 cc.GranulateMagnesium stearate    18.2 gms.Stearic acid          36.4 gms.Compress into 30.9 gm. bolusesDisintegration time 31/2 days______________________________________ 
    
     
                       EXAMPLE IX A______________________________________A formulation was made according to the followingformula, granulated and compressed into oral dosage forms:Coumaphos             109 gms.Instant non-fat dry milk                 891 gmsFormalin              382 ccWater                 50 ccGranulate dry then add:Magnesium stearate     10 gms.CompressResults:Tablet Size      Disintegration Time2 gm.            9 days5 gm.            5 days______________________________________ 
    
     
                       EXAMPLE IX B______________________________________A formulation was also made as follows:Coumaphos             436 gms.Instant non-fat dry milk                 554 gms.Formalin              237.5 cc.Water                 530 cc.Granulate, dry, then add:Magnesium stearate     10 gms.CompressResults:Tablet Size      Disintegration Time30 grains        8 days______________________________________ 
    
     
                       EXAMPLE IX C______________________________________A formulation was made as follows:Coumaphos             109 gms.Instant non-fat dry milk                 891 gms.Formalin              382 cc.Water                 500 cc.Granulate, dry, then add:Magnesium sulfate      10 gms.CompressResults:Tablet Size      Disintegration Time30 grains        5 to 6 days______________________________________ 
    
     
                       EXAMPLE X______________________________________A tablet formulation was made as follows:Chloramphenicol      100 gms.Non-fat dry milk      45 gms.Formaldehyde 1% solution                 35 gms.GranulateCompress into 7.32 gm. tabletsDisintegration time 21/2 days______________________________________ 
    
     The ratio of drug to milk solids can be varied over a wide range as long as sufficient dried milk is present to form a continuous support matrix for the medicament. For example, the resultant tablet, pellet or bolus can contain from 0.5% to 80% by weight medicament and from 20% to 99.5% by weight native milk. The preferred percentage is from about 40% to 50% drug and from 50% to 60% dried milk. 
     Compressed compositions made according to this invention are intended to contain medically significant amounts of drugs (as defined by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act); however, the percentage composition of the drug will vary depending on relative potencies. For example, atropine is extremely potent in contrast to sulfonamide drugs. Exemplary formulations in this respect are: 
     
                       EXAMPLE XI A______________________________________1.   Atropine         100         gms.Dried milk       20,000      gms.Formaldehyde     TraceTotal            20,100      gms.Makes 1,000 boluses weighing 20 gms. each.______________________________________ 
    
     
                       EXAMPLE XI B______________________________________2.   Sulfamethazine   8,000       gms.Dried milk       2,000       gms.Formaldehyde     TraceTotal            10,000      gms.Makes 500 boluses weighing 20 gms. each.______________________________________ 
    
     The size of granules employed in the final compression to form tablets or boluses in accordance with the invention can also be varied. In general, the granules must only be of a size which permits their compression into a self-sustaining body. In practice, it has been found that granules of a mesh size from 4 to 50, or preferably from 4 to 14, can advantageously be employed for this purpose. 
     In order to further establish the effect of particle size on the release pattern, several boluses made according to the formula described in Example I (minus Carbopol) were pulverized to a very fine powder by means of a hammer mill, then recompressed by direct compression into boluses of the same size and hardness as previously. 
     The original boluses required 5 to 8 days to disintegrate in water while the recompressed boluses disintegrated in 3 days. 
     From this it can be concluded that although larger particle sizes seem to favor a more prolonged release pattern, nevertheless fairly prolonged disintegration rates can be obtained when the granules are completely destroyed, then recompressed without regranulating. 
     The compressed dosage forms according to the invention for administration to ruminants are produced under conditions causing the body to have a density of above about 1 gram per cubic centimeter of water, and preferably from 1.1 to 1.6 gm/cc. This prevents the oral dosage form in use from floating upon the surface of the rumen contents or other liquid in the rumenreticulum of the host mammal, and causing it to sink so that the compressed body is not carried out of the rumen too rapidly by the passage of liquids therefrom. 
     Having described in detail the components, processes and parameters required for the production of prolonged release medicament compositions, the desirable properties of the latter will now be discussed. 
     When a self-sustaining oral dosage body produced in accordance with the invention is administered to a ruminant, the following process is theorized to occur. Since the dosage form is extremely resistant to disintegration or dissolution in water, the amount of water in the animal&#39;s stomach or tract probably has little effect thereon. However, because the dosage form is not immune to digestion by digestive and bacterial floral enzymes, it is likely that the eventual disintegration and dissolution of the bolus can be primarily attributed to breakdown by the proteolytic enzymes present in the digestive tract. Hence, as such enzymes act on the exposed surface of the body by digesting the insolubilized protein matrix, medicament is simultaneously released; this concurrently and progressively exposes new surfaces of the body to be digested in like manner until the entire support matrix is consumed and all of the entrapped drug released. Thus, the release rate appears to be related to the total surface areas exposed at any given time, and it therefore steadily declines as the compressed body erodes and diminishes in size. 
     The prolonged release capabilities of oral dosage forms produced in accordance with the invention can best be shown with reference to FIG. 1, showing the comparative prolonged release properties of boluses of the present invention compared with a typical fast-release medicament composition of the prior art. The experimental methods used in gathering such data is explained in the following Example. 
     EXAMPLE XII 
     Three groups of cattle sick with &#34;shipping fever&#34; were chosen in order to test in vivo the prolonged release capabilities of the present boluses and those of the prior art. The three groups consited of the following: 
     
                       TABLE 10______________________________________    Total Number   Average InitialGroup    of Cows        Temperature______________________________________C        143            104.00D        133            104.10E        143            104.15______________________________________ 
    
     Group C was orally given an amount of the present prolonged release composition as described in Example I in bolus form equal to approximately 22.5 grams of sulfamethazine per 100 pounds of body weight. This was given at time &#34;0&#34; shown on corresponding Graph C of FIG. 1. 
     Group D was dosed with a standard rapidly disintegrating sulfamethazine composition being marketed by another pharmaceutical manufacturer, according to the following schedule (total dosage being equal to group C, e.g., 22.5 gms/100 lbs body weight). 
     
                       TABLE 11______________________________________Time (Hrs)    Dosage______________________________________                                      0       11/2 grains/pound body wt.       24   3/4 grains/pound body wt.       48   3/4 grains/pound body wt.       72   1/2 grains/pound body wt.       TOTAL            31/2 grains/pound body wt.______________________________________ (Three and one-half grains per pound is approximately equal to 22.5 grams per 100 pounds.) 
    
     Group E was dosed initially at time &#34;0&#34; with a sulfamethazine bolus in accordance with the invention in an amount equal to approximately 11.25 grams sulfamethazine per 100 pounds body weight. As can be appreciated, this is a &#34;half-dose&#34; of the composition given to C and D. 
     Turning now to the graphs of FIG. 1, the average prolonged release results obtained for each of the Groups is depicted. This data was collected by intermittently taking blood samples of each animal to determine the sulfamethazine content thereof and averaging all of the results in order to provide the graphs shown in FIG. 1. The average data used to construct the graphs is shown in the following table: 
     
                                           TABLE 12__________________________________________________________________________    GROUP C         GROUP D      GROUP E    Full Dose Prolonged Release                    Full Dose Fast Release                                 Half Dose Prolonged ReleaseTime After    (22.5 gms/100 lbs Body Wt.)                    Sulfamethazine Bolus                                 (11.25 gms/100 lbs Body Wt.)Initial Dosage    Mg. Sulfamethazine                    Mg. Sulfamethazine                                 Mg. Sulfamethazine(Hours)  Per 100 ml. Blood                    Per 100 ml. Blood                                 Per 100 ml. Blood__________________________________________________________________________0        1.48            1.57         1.3812       4.05            14.57        2.6924       10.18           16.96*       6.9048       21.92           17.09*       13.7372       19.96           16.42*       10.4196       13.03           13.18        6.08120      7.84            7.84         3.24144      4.48            4.20         2.00168      2.55            2.35         1.57__________________________________________________________________________ *Secondary dosages of fast release bolus given at these times in accordance with the above schedule. 
    
     A level of 5 milligrams sulfamethazine per 100 milliliters of blood is commonly accepted as a &#34;therapeutically active&#34; level. As shown in the groups of FIG. 1, Graph C (all graphs are denoted with letters corresponding to the groups they represent) shows that at the dosage level defined, the prolonged release composition of the present invention prolongs a therapeutically active amount of sulfamethazine in the cow&#39;s bloodstream for a period of almost 140 hours, minus a 14 to 18 hour lag time in onset, while the &#34;half-dose&#34; (Graph E) remains therapeutically active for approximately 105 hours (including the 14 to 18 hours onset lag time). While the fast release standard bolus compositions also maintain a therapeutic level for approximately 135 hours, it is important to note that this can be accomplished only through the use of four successive administrations of the drug over a period of three days. As can be appreciated, these numerous administrations can be a costly and time-consuming procedure, especially if a great number of animals are affected by the disease in question. Moreover, the extra handling and restraint on the animals often causes considerable stress to the latter and can affect their recovery rate. Hence, it is generally much more desirable to provide a therapeutically significant prolonged release of medicament through a single dosing operation. This has been impossible to achieve to any comparable degree with the medicament compositions of the prior art. 
     During the development of the present invention, it was also unexpectedly discovered that the rate of prolonged release in ruminants is positively affected by the degree of sickness of the animal, as indicated by its initial temperature upon dosing. That is, with a sicker animal having a relatively higher temperature, the compositions of the present invention sustain a therapeutically active amount of drug within its bloodstream for a longer period than would be attainable with an animal less severely ill and showing a relatively lower temperature. This surprising result may be explainable as follows. Because the present compositions are acted on by the enzymes of the bacteris flora present in the ruminant animal&#39;s stomach, the rate of dissolution is somewhat dependent upon the concentration of bacteria and protozoa present in the rumen. Additionally, it is known that with increasing body temperature, the bacterial and protozoal population of the ruminant&#39;s digestive system is altered so that lesser amounts of them and their associated proteolytic enzymes are present. Therefore, in sicker animals there is a smaller concentration of the required enzymes for digestion of prolonged release compositions, and consequently these formulations remain active for a longer period of time. This property will be more clearly illustrated in the following Example. 
     EXAMPLE XIII 
     A number of cattle suffering from &#34;shipping fever&#34; were initially dosed with specified amounts of sulfamethazine boluses produced in accordance with the invention, and their body temperatures were taken. Group F (FIG. 2) was given an amount of bolus equal to approximately 22.5 grams sulfamethazine per 100 pounds body weight, and a second Group G was given a &#34;half-dose&#34; equaling approximately 11.25 grams sulfamethazine per 100 pounds body weight. The total time in which each dosage sustained a therapeutically active amount of sulfamethazine in the blood of each cow was then determined and Graphs F and G of FIG. 2 were prepared from the following data: 
     
                       TABLE 13______________________________________  GROUP F       GROUP GInitial  No. Cows  Duration of                        No. Cows                                Duration ofTemperature    Per Temp. Therapeutic                        Per Temp.                                TherapeuticRange    Range     Level*    Range   Level*______________________________________102.0    5         100    hrs  3        76  hrs102.1 - 103.0    42        128         38      100103.1 - 104.0    33        132         32      100104.1 - 105.0    41        141         37      104105.1 - 106.0    18        164         26      116106.1 - 107.0    6         180         6       132______________________________________  *Minus a 14 to 18 hour lag time in onset 
    
     As shown in the immediately preceding Table and corresponding Graphs F and G, there is a positive correlation between initial body temperature of the sick cow and the amount of time in which a therapeutically active amount of medicament remains in its bloodstream. As the temperature increases from about 102.0° F. to about 107° F. the therapeutically active duration increases from about 100 hours to about 180 hours in the Group given the &#34;full-dose&#34;. 
     Therefore, it is evident that the total prolonged release duration can be estimated from the initial temperature of the animal being dosed. For example, if such an animal has a temperature of from 103.1° - 104.0° F. and a dosage of approximately 22.5 grams sulfamethazine per 100 pounds body weight is administered, the total time in which a therapeutically active amount of sulfamethazine remains in the ruminant animal&#39;s bloodstream is approximately 132 hours. Of course, for another given type of animal and disease, other predictive data would need to be consulted in order to determine the approximate duration of medicament release. 
     It should also be noted that the foregoing release characteristic of the medicament compositions of the present invention in sick animals is extremely surprising in view of the prior art. In the prolonged release compositions heretofore available, there was no way to predict total durational effects or the uniformity of their operation. In fact, in many cases the prolonged release period is shorter in feverish ruminant animals. This is primarily due to the fact that they operate on an entirely different principle than the compositions of the present invention, depending for their operation upon water content or specific pH ranges in certain regions of the gastrointestinal tract of the host ruminant mammal. As shown above, the compositions of the present invention are substantially insoluble in water and are relatively resistant to disintegration at pH 1 to 14. Hence, neither water nor pH variations found in vivo significantly affect their performance. 
     These effects are further demonstrated by reference to FIG. 3. In that case, a bolus equivalent of 22.5 grams sulfamethazine per 100 pounds body weight was given to two groups, H and I, of cattle. Group H consisted of 143 cows sick and feverish with shipping fever, while Group I consisted of 27 nonfeverish cows. As can be seen from a study of FIG. 3, the identical bolus dosage forms maintained a therapeutically level of sulfamethazine in sick cows for a substantially longer period than in their nonfeverish counterparts. 
     However, the prolonged release capabilities of the oral dosage forms of this invention are nevertheless substantial (about 90 hours, Graph I, FIG. 4) even in healthy cattle. Therefore, these medicament compositions are also quite useful in treating diseases such as &#34;foot rot&#34; which do not elevate the temperature of the afflicted animal. Moreover, because of this substantial prolonged release in nonfeverish animals, it could sometimes be advantageous to prophylactically administer the oral dosage forms of the invention to healthy animals in order to prevent or lessen the effects of common debilitating diseases.