US 3536809

Patent Overview — US 3,536,809

Title: Medication method
Inventor: Norman Applezweig (New York, N.Y.)
Assignee: Alza Corporation, Palo Alto, Calif. (original assignee; Google's current-assignee data is expressly labeled an assumption)
Application: Ser. No. 799,910, filed Feb. 17, 1969; a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 492,301, filed Oct. 1, 1965, now abandoned
Publication/grant: Oct. 27, 1970
Status as listed: Expired – Lifetime (anticipated expiration Oct. 27, 1987)
Class: A61J 7/00 (with A61J 7/0092 — holding medicines in or fixing medicines on a tooth)
Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US3536809/en

Purpose. The patent addresses weaknesses in existing routes of getting a medicament into the bloodstream — injection (difficult, uncomfortable, skill-intensive) and oral administration (many medicaments not absorbed or degraded before reaching the blood). It also criticizes sublingual tablets (small absorptive surface, salivation, swallowing) and buccal tablets (larger doses needed, slow delivery, uncomfortable pressure between lip and gum, possible disintegration and swallowing).

Plain-language scope. A flexible, absorbent, removable and discardable non-ingested fabric, gauze or paper strip is impregnated with a medicament plus a water-soluble or dispersible carrier (e.g., Carbowax, polyvinylpyrrolidone, carboxymethyl cellulose, gum arabic). The strip is placed between the gum and cheek against the buccal membrane, releasing the medicament directly into the bloodstream through both faces; it is then removed and discarded after substantial depletion. The abstract frames this as absorption at a predetermined interval.

Examples: progesterone strips (about 26 mg, release ~2 mg/min, depleted in ~15 min); estrone strips (2 mg, ~95% removed in ~15 min); cortisol, testosterone and desoxycorticosterone strips similarly depleted (~95% in ~15 min). Hormones named: progesterone, estrone, testosterone, cortisol, desoxycorticosterone; also proteolytic enzymes, appetite depressants, antispasmodics and sedatives. Stated release range: 5–20 minutes optimal.

What the excerpt does not establish. The supplied text omits or truncates the numbered claims (only 4 claims are noted), the full claim language, and the cites of any prior-art references. It provides no evidence on validity, enforceability, claim construction, ownership transfers, or litigation outcomes. Dosage numbers are partly garbled by OCR and should not be relied on.