Patent ID: 7320800

Claim:
A method of delivering progesterone to a female patient, comprising placing in the vagina of said patient a tablet consisting of natural progesterone, pharmaceutically acceptable excipients, and an effervescent, wherein said tablet is prepared by the steps of: (i) mixing water with natural progesterone to obtain wetted natural progesterone in the absence of pharmaceutically acceptable excipients; and drying said wetted natural progesterone to form dry progesterone; (ii) mixing said dry natural progesterone with (a) pharmaceutically acceptable excipients and (b) an effervescent to form a mixture; and (iii) forming said tablet in dry form by direct compaction of said mixture, and retaining said tablet in said vagina until the tablet dissolves, wherein the tablet provides a T max from 3.05 hours to 9.75 hours after said tablet is placed in the vagina.