Diary of a Neighborhood Pharmacist, Entry #12

There's an additional thought that came to mind last night: While most industries have done what they could to accommodate the aging baby boomers, the pharmaceutical manufacturers have turned their backs on what will soon be their most lucrative customers.

Automobile manufacturers and furniture makers understand, so their products are just a little bit wider, because their customers have grown wider as well. Wristwatches have larger numbers to suit aging eyes. Clothing sizes have adjusted with the times, so that there's no need to give up being a size 5, or a 40 regular, just because you've gained a few pounds.

But tablets and capsules have gotten smaller and smaller. They may be easier to swallow, but they're harder to grasp, and if they should accidentally fall, they're more difficult to see. I'm not sure how older people can manage the tiny tablets with arthritic fingers, and I wonder how I'll be able to do it myself in a few years.

If the drug companies really cared about us, they could design larger tablets with a soft gelatin coating. The larger tablet would be easier to pick up, while the gelatin, dipped in water for just a few seconds, becomes softer, slightly slippery, and can be swallowed as easily as a raw oyster. Of course, the parts where it's being held don't get slippery, so there's no risk that it will slip away during a brief soaking. It might increase the costs of production just a bit, but it would be easy for a drug company to make the case that their brand of a drug is medically necessary, because the patient just can't get a decent grip on the generic product.

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