RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., – GlaxoSmithKline has announced today that the U.S. Food and DrugAdministration (FDA) has approved Lamictal(R) ODT(TM) (lamotrigine) OrallyDisintegrating Tablets. Lamictal ODT uses a novel drug-delivery formulation toprovide Lamictal in a tablet that has a pleasant taste and disintegrates onthe tongue. One factor physicians should consider when treating chronic disorders iswhether patients can swallow the medications they need. In one large surveystudy, 23 percent of patients in a general practice setting reporteddifficulty swallowing. “Patients with epilepsy or bipolar disorder can have difficulty swallowingtablets. Unfortunately, this problem may go unrecognized, because manypatients don’t discuss this issue with their healthcare providers,” saidDaniel Lieberman, M.D., associate professor and clinical director of theGeorge Washington University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.”Orally disintegrating tablets, like Lamictal ODT, offer an option forpatients who have difficulty swallowing tablets.”