DESIGN OF SWALLOWABLE MULTI-NOZZLE, DOSING DEVICE FOR RELEASING MEDICINES IN THE GASTROINTESINAL TRACT

摘要

A capsule and methodology for dispensing a medicament in the gastrointestinal tract of a mammal is disclosed, the gastrointestinal tract having tissue sites of interest. The capsule may include a medicament reservoir; medicament dispensing means such as a plurality of piezoelectric droplet jet nozzle dispensers; a power source; electronic control circuitry means and/or detecting means capable of communicating with a medicament dispensing means for regulating the amount and time interval for dispensing of the medicament into the gastrointestinal tract by the medicament dispensing means; and a non-digestible outer protective shell housing, e.g., the medicament reservoir, medicament dispensing means and electronic control circuitry means. A plurality of the nozzle dispensers of the medicament dispensing means can be positioned tangentially to a surface of the housing such that during release of a medicament, the capsule is caused to rotate and/or translate so as to discharge the medicament homogeneously onto tissue sites of interest. In addition, by using multiple nozzles and releasing medicament at high speed, this facilitates medicament absorption by the intestines in the gastrointestinal tract.