Press-coated orally-disintegrating tablets

1. A press-coated rapidly orally-disintegrating tablet with an outer layer surrounding an inner core having a powder/granular material with poor formability wherein:

the inner core has a thickness of 30 to 80% based on that of the whole tablet; and

the outer layer comprises (a) microcrystalline cellulose, (b) a sugar or a sugar alcohol, (c) one or more particular ingredients selected from the group consisting of crospovidone, a starch, low-substituted hydroxypropylcellulose and carmellose, and (d) one or more additional formulation ingredients,

wherein the microcrystalline cellulose (a) is contained in an amount of 20 to 70 wt %,

the sugar or sugar alcohol (b) is contained in an amount of 20 to 75 wt %,

when the particular ingredients (c) comprise a starch, then the starch is contained in an amount of 3 to 40 wt %, and when the particular ingredients (c) comprise at least one ingredient selected from the group consisting of crospovidone, low-substituted hydroxypropylcellulose and carmellose, then the total amount of at least one of crospovidone, low-substituted hydroxypropylcellulose and carmellose is 3 to 20 wt %, provided that when the particular ingredients (c) comprise both a starch and at least one ingredient selected from the group consisting of crospovidone, low-substituted hydroxypropylcellulose and carmellose, then the total amount of the particular ingredients (c) is 6 to 43 wt %, and

the additional formulation ingredient(s) (d) is contained in an amount of 0.01 to 25 wt %, per 100 wt % of the outer layer,

the outer layer has a porosity of 1 to 15%, and

the tablet has a hardness and disintegrating balance index (“HDBI”) value of 0.15 N/mm 2 sec or more.

2. The press-coated rapidly orally-disintegrating tablet of claim 1 , wherein the inner core has a porosity of 10 to 90%.

3. The press-coated rapidly orally-disintegrating tablet of claim 1 , wherein

the particular ingredient (c) is a starch; and

the starch is contained in an amount of 3 to 40 wt % per 100 wt % of the outer layer.

4. The press-coated rapidly orally-disintegrating tablet of claim 1 , wherein

the microcrystalline cellulose (a) is contained in an amount of 20 to 70 wt % per 100 wt % of the outer layer;

the particular ingredient (c) is a starch; and

the starch is contained in an amount of 3 to 40 wt % per 100 wt % of the outer layer.

5. The press-coated rapidly orally-disintegrating tablet of claim 1 , wherein the particular ingredient (c) is corn starch.

6. The press-coated rapidly orally-disintegrating tablet of claim 1 , wherein

the particular ingredient (c) is at least one ingredient selected from the group consisting of crospovidone, low-substituted hydroxypropylcellulose and carmellose; and

the particular ingredient(s) (c) in total is contained in an amount of 3 to 20 wt % per 100 wt % of the outer layer.

7. The press-coated rapidly orally-disintegrating tablet of claim 1 , wherein the sugar or sugar alcohol (b) is mannitol.

8. The press-coated rapidly orally-disintegrating tablet of claim 1 , wherein the inner core has a thickness of 30 to 70% based on that of the whole tablet.

9. The press-coated rapidly orally-disintegrating tablet of claim 1 , wherein a porosity of the inner core is greater than the porosity of the outer layer.

10. The press-coated rapidly orally-disintegrating tablet of claim 1 , wherein the inner core comprises an active ingredient.

11. The press-coated rapidly orally-disintegrating tablet of claim 1 , wherein the outer layer further comprises an active ingredient.

12. The press-coated rapidly orally-disintegrating tablet of claim 1 , wherein the particular ingredient (c) is at least one ingredient selected from the group consisting of crospovidone, corn starch, potato starch, rice starch, wheat starch, sweet potato starch, mung bean starch, tapioca starch and partly pregelatinized starch.

13. The press-coated rapidly orally-disintegrating tablet of claim 1 , wherein the additional formulation ingredient (d) is at least one ingredient selected from the group consisting of a filler, a disintegrant, a binder, a sweetening agent, a taste corrective/odor corrective, a stabilizer, a surfactant, a fluidizing agent, an antistatic agent, a coating agent, a lubricant, a colorant, and a flavor.

14. The press-coated rapidly orally-disintegrating tablet of claim 1 , wherein the tablet has an absolute hardness of 2.0 N/mm 2 or more.