Daily multi-segment capsule for time-tunable drug release toward enhanced polypharmacy adherence

Progress and potential

We have developed a tunable, multi-segment daily capsule to advance polypharmacy, enhance adherence to medication regimens, and improve therapeutic outcomes. The capsule design enables multiple-drug or multiple-dose delivery. Each capsule incorporates multiple compartments, each containing distinct therapeutic payloads isolated by an enteric barrier. By controlling the concentration of the enteric polymer within the barrier matrix, we can precisely tailor the time release of each payload. This design simplifies complex medication regimens by consolidating multiple drugs into a single, once-daily capsule with a predetermined timed-release mechanism, eliminating the need for pillbox organizers and promoting optimal adherence. To enhance drug bioavailability, uptake, and efficacy, magnesium microstirrers are integrated into the capsule, enabling localized stirring and dynamic drug delivery. In vitro testing in simulated gastric fluid (pH 1.3) demonstrated the tunable multi-phase release of drugs using food dyes as visual indicators and levodopa, an anti-Parkinsonian drug, as a model. The system successfully achieved multi-phase release capabilities, delivering the drug in distinct phases with fast, intermediate, and sustained releases, highlighting its clinical versatility. The capsule’s predetermined timed-release mechanism is designed to achieve precise drug delivery tailored to patient needs, improving outcomes while streamlining daily routines. Future work will focus on translating this technology into in vivo studies to validate its efficacy in enhancing compliance and therapeutic outcomes. In addition, we aim to scale the capsule’s fabrication for the pharmaceutical industry, extend its release capabilities beyond a single day, and localize the release within the gut for targeted therapy, transforming medication adherence, outcomes, and disease management.

Highlights

A tunable oral multi-segment capsule for continuous daylong delivery of medication

The multi-segment capsule features compartments for programmed and precise release

Adjusting Eudragit S100 concentrations in the barrier controls drug release

Microrobots generate flows to expedite barrier disintegration and drug delivery

Summary

Ensuring patient compliance is crucial for effective treatment, particularly in cases of polypharmacy. To tackle this issue, we developed a time-tunable multi-segment capsule for tailored daylong delivery of multiple drugs or dosages. In this multi-segment daily capsule (MSDC), each drug payload is spatially isolated by an enteric barrier. By controlling the polymer density within the barrier matrix, the dissolution time and release of each corresponding drug can be tuned. Embedding robotic capabilities within specific drug segments facilitates immediate drug disintegration for pain management and emergency response. In vitro testing of robotic levodopa MSDCs demonstrated a timed, multiple-dose release profile offering fast, intermediate, and sustained releases to address motor symptoms in persons with Parkinson’s disease. Tuning the loading of Mg micromotors allows them to function as proton pump inhibitors for pH-responsive intervention in gastric disorders. The MSDC promotes personalized medication and simplifies complex treatment regimens by customizing the therapeutic payload and the release time.