Patent ID: 7329418

Claim:
A compressed, immediate-release pharmaceutical tablet containing a therapeutic dose of one or more active pharmaceutical ingredients and having a greater height than width, said height being measured vertically from the top to the bottom of said tablet while it is in the tablet die in which it is fully compressed, after said compression has been completed; and said width being measured as the greatest horizontal dimension of the tablet at a location halfway between said top and said bottom of said tablet, except that when the horizontal cross-section of said tablet is substantially rectangular, the width is defined by locating the two shorter sides of the perimeter of said horizontal cross-section, and measuring the length of a line that is at right angle to said shorter sides, said tablet consisting essentially of: a bottom end segment comprising an immediate-release composition containing at least about half of said therapeutic dose of the one or more active pharmaceutical ingredient, said bottom end segment having an exposed bottom end and a contacting face opposite its exposed bottom end; a top end segment comprising a composition substantially identical to the composition of said bottom end segment, said top end segment having an exposed top end and a contacting face opposite its exposed top end; a middle segment located between said bottom end segment and said top end segment, said middle segment comprising a composition consisting essentially of immediate-release excipients and being substantially free of active pharmaceutical ingredient, said middle segment having a bottom face in contact with the contacting face of said bottom end segment, a top face in contact with the contacting face of said top end segment, and an exposed outer side surface; and optionally, an immediate-release coating substantially free of active pharmaceutical ingredient.