One Capsule, Timed Doses: New Pill Releases Medication in Stages

For certain common medical conditions, taking medication at the right time is crucial. A new customizable capsule developed at UC San Diego may streamline complex dosing routines with its innovative staged release system.

In recent years, studies have explored how the timing of substance intake, aligned with our body’s internal clock—known as the circadian rhythm—can affect health outcomes. For instance, one study found that early risers who took blood pressure medication in the morning, and night owls who took it at bedtime, had a reduced risk of non-fatal heart attacks. Another study suggested that taking anti-inflammatory drugs at night rather than in the morning might slow healing. Even when you add sugar to your coffee can influence how caffeine affects you.

Engineered Barriers Enable Timed Medication Release

To develop the capsule, researchers designed it with multiple compartments divided by barriers made of “a lactose and maltose matrix infused with a pH-responsive polymer,” according to a university statement. This polymer shields the barriers from stomach acid, and by adjusting their thickness, the researchers can control when each compartment releases its medication.

The capsule is coated with a protective vegetable cellulose layer that dissolves in the stomach. This design allows medications that need immediate release to sit outside the internal barriers, releasing them as soon as the outer coating dissolves.

Speeds Delivery and Protects

As if that weren’t impressive enough for such a small pill, the engineers also infused the outer layer with tiny magnesium particles that serve two purposes. When released, they produce hydrogen bubbles that help spread the first medication more quickly, and they also neutralize stomach acid, preventing it from prematurely triggering the pH-sensitive barrier that controls the release of a second drug.

To test the capsule, researchers loaded it with three color-tinted doses of the Parkinson’s drug levodopa. Under simulated stomach conditions, they observed that the first dose—along with its magnesium components—was released rapidly, while the remaining two compartments delivered the drug in a more gradual, staggered manner over time.

Using Levodopa for Consistent Symptom Management

The choice to use the Parkinson’s drug levodopa was intentional—researchers note that keeping consistent levels of the medication throughout the day can significantly help patients manage their symptoms.

“If the drug level drops too low, patients will experience tremors and other motor symptoms,” explains Amal Abbas, the study’s lead author. “However, if we can maintain a steady level, we can help stabilize a patient’s movement. Our capsule could ensure this stability throughout the day, eliminating the need for patients to time each dose precisely.”

Abbas also suggests that the capsule could benefit patients with cardiovascular disease by releasing a dose of aspirin in the morning, a beta blocker in the afternoon, and a cholesterol medication at night, for instance.

Abbas and her team plan to proceed with in vivo testing and are working on designing a version of the capsule that can last longer than a single day. They also aim to explore the possibility of creating a capsule that releases drugs further along in the digestive system. Additionally, Abbas has launched a startup to speed up the capsule’s development.

The study on the development and use of the capsule has been published in the journal
Matter.

Read the original article on: Newatlas

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