Ferric maltol is a novel ferric iron compound with potential use as an oral therapy for iron deficiency anaemia. Using a single, low dose iron absorption test we compared absorption of ferric maltol with absorption of ferrous sulphate in 21 iron deficient subjects. Absorption of 10 mg of ferric maltol as either aqueous solution or a single tablet compared favourably with that of an equivalent dose of ferrous sulphate. At a higher, more therapeutic dose of 60 mg elemental iron as tablets, absorption of ferric maltol appeared to be both more rapid and total absorption greater, than that seen with ferrous sulphate. We conclude that iron from ferric maltol, both at low dose and higher, more therapeutic doses, is at least as well absorbed as from ferrous sulphate. Ferric maltol is the first ferric iron formulation to be absorbed to a degree equivalent to that of ferrous iron salts and may represent a viable form of administration for ferric iron in the treatment of iron deficiency anaemia.

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The recent patent literature concerning drug delivery to the colon is reviewed. A variety of products are under development using either specialised drug coatings or specific devices that target drugs to the colon. The use of coatings that break down in response to microbial flora, change in pH or the permeation of water, herald promise. A number of devices that release drugs in response to changes in pressure, the passage of time or that have degradable tablet cores are also described. However, many of these devices are so complex that they may be uneconomic to manufacture. Colonic drug delivery devices that release drugs in response to microbial degradation are the most propitious, as they are simple and are less susceptible to inter-patient variability.

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The diffusion of ephedrine, sulphathiazole, chloramphenicol, paracetamol, isoniazid and amphetamine in solutions of Tween 40, Tween 80 and cetomacrogol 1000 have been studied. With the exception of isoniazid, the observed diffusion coefficients, corrected for resistance to flow, depend upon the surfactant used and both the drug and surfactant concentration. The effect of drug solubilization upon the diffusion coefficient is also discussed.