Pharmaceutical tablets with active and inactive segments

A compressed, immediate-release pharmaceutical tablet containing a pharmaceutically effective dose of each of two or more active pharmaceutical ingredients, said tablet having a tablet height greater than tablet width, said tablet height being measured vertically from a highest top point of said compressed tablet to a lowest bottom point of said compressed tablet and said width being measured as a greatest horizontal dimension of the tablet halfway between the highest point and the lowest point of said compressed tablet, except that when a horizontal cross-section of said tablet is substantially rectangular, the width is a length of a long axis of said rectangle, said tablet consisting essentially of:

• a first composition forming a bottom layered segment or a plurality of compositionally substantially identical segments forming an exposed bottom end surface of the tablet, said segment or segments having an exposed outer side surface and a contacting face located opposite and superior to the exposed bottom end surface of the tablet, said first composition consisting essentially of excipients having immediate-release characteristics and a pharmaceutically effective dose of at least one active pharmaceutical ingredient;
• a second composition forming a top layered segment forming an exposed top end surface of the tablet, said segment having an exposed outer side surface and a lower contacting face opposite and inferior to the exposed top end surface, said second composition consisting essentially of excipients having immediate-release characteristics and a pharmaceutically effective dose of at least one active pharmaceutical ingredient, wherein, said first and second compositions are pharmaceutically incompatible with one another and have at least one different active pharmaceutical ingredient;
• a third composition consisting essentially of excipients having immediate-release characteristics and being substantially free of active pharmaceutical ingredient, said composition forming a middle layered segment having a lower contacting face in contact with the bottom end segment or segments, an exposed outer side surface, and an upper contacting face in contact with the top end segment, said middle segment having, after compression, an effective height of at least 2 mm, wherein the effective height is a vertical distance between a highest point of the bottom end segment or segments and a lowest point of said top end segment, said middle segment having a height or exposed side surface of at least 3 mm, said height of the middle segment being a vertical distance between the upper and lower contacting faces of the middle segment;
• and
• optionally, an immediate-release coating substantially free of active pharmaceutical ingredient;
• wherein the terms “bottom,” “stop,” “end,” “middle,” “side,” “outer,” “superior,” “inferior,”“lower,” “upper,” “vertical,” and “horizontal” refer to a spatial orientation of said tablet as oriented in a tablet die in which compression occurs.

A compressed, immediate-release pharmaceutical tablet having a top and a bottom defining a tablet height and having a tablet width greater than the tablet height, said tablet height being a greatest vertical dimension from the top of said tablet to the bottom of said tablet, after compression has been completed, and said width being a greatest horizontal dimension of the tablet at the location corresponding to half the height of the tablet or, when a horizontal cross-section of said tablet is substantially rectangular and has a long and short axis, the width is the long axis of the rectangle, said tablet being formed as having at least four segments and containing a therapeutic dose of two or more active pharmaceutical ingredients, said tablet consisting essentially of:

• a first layered composition consisting essentially of a pharmaceutical composition containing excipients having immediate-release characteristics and a pharmaceutically effective dose of at least one active pharmaceutical ingredient, said first layered composition forming a bottom end segment or a plurality of unitary bottom end segments, said bottom end segment or segments having a contacting face contacting a second segment and an exposed end surface forming a bottom end surface of the tablet;
• a second layered composition consisting essentially of excipients having immediate-release characteristics and being substantially free of active pharmaceutical ingredient and forming a second segment having a first contacting face in contact with the bottom end segment or segments, an exposed side surface, and a second contacting face opposite the first contacting face and contacting a third segment, said second segment having, after compression, an effective height of at least 2 mm, wherein the effective height is a vertical distance between a highest point of the first segment and a lowest point of said third segment, said second segment having a height or exposed outer side surface of at least 3 mm, said height of the second segment being a vertical distance between the first and second contacting faces of the second segment, said second segment forming a breaking segment for optionally dividing said tablet through said third segment;
• a third layered composition consisting essentially of excipients having immediate-release characteristics and a pharmaceutically effective dose of at least one active pharmaceutical ingredient, said composition being pharmaceutically incompatible with the first layered composition and wherein said first and third compositions have at least one different active pharmaceutical ingredient, said third composition forming the third segment having a first contacting face in contact with the second segment, an exposed outer side surface, and a second contacting face in contact with a top end segment;
• a fourth layered composition consisting essentially of a pharmaceutical composition containing excipients having immediate-release characteristics and being substantially free of active pharmaceutical ingredient, said fourth layered composition forming a top end segment having a first contacting face contacting the third segment and an exposed end surface forming a top end surface of the tablet;
• a substantially vertically oriented bisecting score in or on a side face and traversing at least two segments of the tablet, said vertically oriented score being provided for assisting a person to break the tablet at a desired break region when a half dose of all active ingredients is desired;
• and
• an optional immediate-release coating substantially free of active pharmaceutical ingredient;
• wherein the terms “bottom,” “top,” “end,” “side,” “outer,” “higher” or “highest,” “lower” or lowest,” “vertical,” and “horizontal” refer to a spatial orientation of said tablet as oriented in a tablet die in which compression occurs immediately after said compression and before ejection from the die.