In this specification, a pharmaceutical dosage form comprising a three-dimensional structural framework of thin, solid elements surrounded by interconnected void space is disclosed. The elements comprise at least a drug, a water-absorptive, polymeric excipient, and a hydrophilic surface composition. Upon immersion in a dissolution fluid the three-dimensional structural framework is wetted uniformly, transitions from solid to viscous due to the diffusion of dissolution fluid into the thin elements, expands in all dimensions, and disintegrates and releases drug. The disclosed dosage form enables greater drug delivery rates and better control of the drug concentration in blood for improving the efficacy and safety of drug therapies.
