Why you may not have to take a pill every day
Capsule that stays in stomach for two weeks would help patients stick to medication regimes
Scientists may have found a solution to the burden of taking a daily pill by developing a tablet that releases drugs steadily over two weeks. Experts are hopeful it could help people stick to inconvenient drug regimes, particularly the elderly or those with dementia.
THE END of daily medication is on the horizon after scientists invented a pill that releases drugs steadily over two weeks. Experts are hopeful it could help people stick to inconvenient drug regimes, particularly the elderly or those with dementia or mental health problems who struggle to remember to take their medicine.
The capsule looks like a pill but when swallowed it opens up into a star shape to stop it passing through the stomach.
It then gradually releases the drug over a fortnight before breaking up and passing out of the body.
So far it has been tested with the malaria drug ivermectin, but scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard University and Imperial College London are hopeful it could eventually be used for many drugs, including those used to treat diabetes, HIV, Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy.
“Until now, oral drugs would almost never last for more than a day,” said Professor Robert Langer, a member of MIT team that developed the pill.
“This really opens the door to ultralong-lasting oral systems, which could have an effect on all kinds of diseases, such as Alzheimer’s or mental health disorders. There are a lot of exciting things this could someday enable.” The breakthrough, which has been funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, was triggered after Bill Gates visited MIT and asked if a pill could be made that delivered a whole course of treatment for diseases such as malaria.
Scientists needed to come up with a capsule that was stable enough to survive the harsh environment of the stomach while releasing its contents consistently over time. The team designed a star-shaped structure with drug molecules loaded into the arms.
After the capsule is swallowed, acid in the stomach dissolves the capsule’s outer layer, allowing the six arms to unfold. Once the star expands, it is large enough to stay in the stomach and resist the forces that would normally push it down the digestive tract. However, it is not large enough to cause a harmful blockage of the tract.
Future versions are expected to provide even longer lasting drug delivery spanning a month or more.
Andrew Boaden, senior policy officer at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “Innovations that allow treatments to be tak- en less frequently have the potential to help people with dementia avoid missing their medication and falling sick.”
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