Asmaa M Rashid1,
Rafid M Hashim2,
Hanan J Kassab3,
Hussein K Alkufi4 
,
Hawraa K Khafeef1,
Hiba Mohammed Suza1
For correspondence:- Hussein Alkufi Email: husseinalkufi21@utq.edu.iq Tel:+964-7830905105
Received: 29 August 2025 Accepted: 10 January 2026 Published: 31 January 2026
Citation: Rashid AM, Hashim RM, Kassab HJ, Alkufi HK, Khafeef HK, Suza HM. Formulation of ketotifen child-friendly chewing gums for pediatric administration. Trop J Pharm Res 2026; 25(1):15-22 doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/tjpr.v25i1.3
© 2026 The authors.
This is an Open Access article that uses a funding model which does not charge readers or their institutions for access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) and the Budapest Open Access Initiative (http://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org/read), which permit unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited..
Purpose: To formulate ketotifen fumarate (KTF) in the form of an oral chewing gum to enhance patient compliance, particularly among children. Methods: Six KTF gums were prepared using gelatin alone or in combination with sodium carboxymethylcellulose (NaCMC) at 68 ºC and at 75 ºC. The six batches prepared were code-labeled, F1 to F6. The prepared KTF gums were characterized with respect to appearance, thickness, weight variation, moisture loss, and in vitro drug release. Results: Temperature did not significantly affect the properties of the formulated gums (p > 0.05). However, the addition of a second polymer affected the properties of the gums. Two KTF gums (F2 and F4), which had NaCMC as a second polymer, showed maximum release in 2 h (100 % and 87.25 %, respectively). The moisture content for F2 was 15.20 %, suggesting better mechanical properties. Conclusion: Ketotifen fumarate may be formulated into a chewing gum as an alternative method for pediatric administration, aiming to improve compliance.
Fulltext in PDF