Presented at the 2012 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists annual meeting in Chicago last week, the prototype was developed to enable faster absorption through the cheek and act quickly to cure symptoms like nausea, dizziness and vomiting.
It’s estimated that about 33 percent of people are susceptible to travel sickness in mild circumstances and 66 percent are affected in more severe conditions, researchers say.
Motion sickness occurs when there’s a conflict between what the eyes see and what the inner ears, muscles and joints sense, particularly common when traveling by car, train, airplanes and boats.
The new gum, created out of the Islamic Azad University School of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Tehran, is made with dimenhydrinate, among the best drug candidates for treating the condition, researchers say.
The drug is also marketed under brand names like Gravol, Dramamine, Vomexand Gravamin.
Researchers say delivering the drug as a chewing gum is a faster and more effective way to tackle motion sickness.
Meanwhile, here are a few other non-medicinal ways to avoid travel-related sickness:
· Choose a seat at the front of cars, trains, or the upper deck on a boat. On a plane, try to sit by the wings.
· Fix your gaze on a stable object in the distance and avoid reading or playing games.
· Keep your head as still as possible with the aid of a pillow if possible
· Try closing your eyes and listening to music
· Avoid eating large meals or drinking alcohol before traveling
· If possible, open the window or move to the top deck of a ship to get fresh air
–Source: National Health Service UK