Creating a Culture of Quality in Fast-Melt Tablet Development

In this interview with David Mastropietro, R.Ph, Ph.D, executive vice president of Product Development & Quality Management at Solara Labs, he shares insights on the formulation and quality considerations behind fast-melt tablets. As senior pharmaceutical scientist for the EZ Melts product line, David explains how orally disintegrating tablets are designed to quickly break apart in saliva, offering patients a convenient alternative to traditional tablets or capsules.

He also highlights the unique role of EZ Melts, a line of fast-melt nutritional supplements that dissolve on the tongue without the need for water, designed to support patients who may have difficulty swallowing pills.¹ Throughout the discussion, David emphasizes the importance of quality at every stage—from facility standards and ingredient sourcing to production processes and final product testing, underscoring how a strong culture of quality ensures consistency and patient trust.

Pharmacy Times: Can you walk us through the science behind fast-melt technology—what makes these formulations dissolve quickly and effectively in the mouth?

David Mastropietro, R.Ph., Ph.D.: So first, let me clarify what a fast-melt tablet is. In the pharmaceutical environment, we typically refer to these as orally disintegrating tablets. They’re formulated to readily break apart and disintegrate using only a small amount of saliva in the mouth. There’s really no need to take them with water or another liquid, since the disintegration can happen in just a few seconds—or up to a minute for larger tablets.

You asked how this happens. To make the process efficient, there are key scientific and technological factors at play. We first look at the tablet matrix, or what makes up the tablet. Often, specialized excipients are used that are highly porous and dissolve easily in saliva. Along with these, disintegrating agents are included. These agents act like sponges, soaking up water and pushing apart as they swell. This swelling process, in the presence of saliva, allows the liquid to penetrate quickly into the tablet. The resulting mechanical forces break the tablet apart, driving fast disintegration and leaving a clean mouthfeel at the end.

In addition, specialized manufacturing methods are often used. These techniques help create the desirable properties of a fast-melting or quick-dissolving tablet when it’s placed in the mouth.

Pharmacy Times: Which patient populations benefit most from fast-melt tablets, and how do these dosage forms address challenges such as dysphagia, pill burden, or pediatric dosing?

Mastropietro: As you mentioned, there are certain elderly patients, or patients with dysphagia, who have impaired swallowing or reduced motor function that prevents them from properly swallowing an intact tablet or capsule. Fast-melt tablets remove the need to swallow whole dosage forms and may even help reduce the risk of aspiration, which can be a concern in these patients.

Children also come to mind. Often, they may be too young to comfortably swallow a tablet or capsule, or they may simply refuse to do so. Even liquid formulations can present challenges, such as administration difficulties or messiness. Fast-melt tablets can make the process easier and more pleasant for children, improving both acceptance and adherence.

Another benefit is patient convenience. Fast-melt tablets create a more pleasant experience overall, especially for those who need to take medication daily. They eliminate the need for water to be readily available, making them easy to take on the go. They’re also simple to carry, which further enhances convenience.

Finally, you mentioned pill burden. Fast-melt tablets can simplify administration and improve adherence for patients who struggle with multiple medications. While they are not a cure-all for polypharmacy, they do help remove one significant barrier to taking and swallowing multiple pills at once.

Pharmacy Times: How do you ensure consistency, quality, and scalability of fast melt formulations, particularly as demand grows?

Mastropietro: Yeah, so, great question. I think about quality as something that starts from the very first step. That first step is the facility itself—having the right regulatory framework in place so the facility can operate under good manufacturing practice, or GMP, requirements. That’s really the foundation for ensuring quality down the line.

The next step is the ingredients. It’s essential to know where the ingredients are coming from, to have strong relationships with suppliers and manufacturers, and to qualify those sources properly. When ingredients arrive, they need to be tested and verified to ensure they meet the required quality standards. That ingredient aspect is a critical piece of the overall process.

From there, we move into the production process. This requires the right environment, the right equipment, and well-trained people to manufacture these types of tablets. Throughout production, continuous monitoring and quality checks must be performed to confirm consistency from batch to batch, especially as production scales up.

Once the product is complete, quality testing at the end stage is another vital step. We need to confirm that the final product meets the defined quality attributes and requirements. Defining, monitoring, and consistently achieving those attributes is what ensures both product quality and reliability as we scale.

Finally, I think it all comes back to having a culture of quality. That culture has to come from the top down—starting with leadership and extending through every level of the company. At our organization, we truly care about the products we make, the ingredients we use, and, ultimately, the patients and consumers who rely on them. Quality also means continuously improving and always looking for new opportunities to do better.

REFERENCES

1. Dissolvable Vitamins with Zero Sugar. EZ Melts. Published 2019. Accessed September 18, 2025. https://ezmelts.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopExHadUEWEKNGyZV1372nMbcbU7ARW5ojcmVwbmTow4_cjSkec

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