Spoonful of science could make the medicine go down

RESEARCHERS in Yorkshire are launching a study to examine how to improve the taste of children’s medicines.

A spoonful of sugar has been traditionally used as a way to encourage youngsters to take foul-tasting medication.

But according to the World Health Organisation, more than eight million youngsters die each year of diseases which could be avoided if essential medicines were available in appropriate formulations for children.

Now scientists from Bradford University are working in partnership with colleagues from China to make bitter-tasting drugs easier to tolerate.

Liquids are often seen as the most appropriate formulation for children as they are easier to administer and doses can be adjusted for different age groups.

Nevertheless many medicines are still not available in liquid form and in any case need to be palatable to ensure children complete courses of treatment.

Marcel de Matas, of Bradford University’s Science Bridges China programme, said: “It is possible to reason with an older child and persuade them to take a medicine despite the taste.

“But with a six-month old baby, reasoning won’t get you very far. Sweetness is much shorter-lived than bitterness, so even where a sweetener is used, you’ll often get a nasty aftertaste.

“A young child will remember that the medicine tasted horrible, and refuse to take it.

“There are also significant differences between countries and cultures as to what tastes ‘nice’.”

The project will focus on two approaches to taste masking.

One involves adding a barrier to the medicine to prevent the molecules that create a bitter taste interacting with taste receptors in the mouth and the other will use molecules that bind to the taste receptors in place of the medicine to prevent the taste being registered.