The present invention describes the use of croscarmellose sodium to coat bitter-tasting active agents in a manner that will mask the bitter taste of these materials, taste masked pharmaceutical compositions in which the particles of pharmaceutically active agent are coated with croscarmellose sodium, taste masked pharmaceutical tablets made therefrom, in which the rapid disintegration of tablets that is imparted by croscarmellose sodium is preserved, and to a method for preparing such coated particles by preparing them in a fluidized bed coating process.