Researchers funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering have developed a capsule that releases a polymer ring when put in stomach fluid, at least in the lab. The ring can then release medication over several weeks. It's another example of the use of drug delivery to solve to problem of nonadherence, which costs the system $100 billion in avoidable hospitalizations every year, according to the NIH. "Medications only work if people take them. The failure of patients to follow instructions for taking their medications is staggering, with adherence in developed nations reaching only 50%. It is even lower in patients taking multiple medications and in developing countries with poor access to healthcare. This technology directly addresses that issue. For example, a week long course of antibiotics could be given in one visit to the doctor with the patient swallowing a single pill that releases the drug for a week and then harmlessly dissolves," said MIT drug delivery guru Robert Langer, who helped develop the device, in a statement. It could also have application for diagnostics and patient monitoring. More
> European healthcare private equity firm GHO Capital has acquired Quotient Clinical, provider of clinical formulation optimization technologies, and other services aimed at speeding up drug development. More