Skip to main content

Inflating smart pills could be a painless alternative to injections

+

Rani updated video 2018

Just like seemingly every other object in our lives, from cars to household objects, pills are getting smarter. No longer content to simply boringly dissolve when swallowed, tomorrow’s drug-releasing tablets promise the kind of functionality that would make James Bond feel at home.

The latest example of this is the RaniPill capsule, a robotic pill designed to replace injections of large drug molecules including peptides, proteins, and antibodies. The Rube Goldberg machine of injectables, the RaniPill enters the intestine after being swallowed, where the surrounding pH levels call its shell-like coating to dissolve. Once the shell-dissolving chemical reaction has taken place, it causes a balloon to inflate which, in turn, pushes a dissolvable microneedle filled with a drug into the intestinal wall.

Compared to injections, the approach is painless since there are no sharp pain receptors in the intestine, where the injection takes place. Amazingly, all of this gadgetry is compressed into a pill no bigger than a regular fish oil capsule.

Rani Therapeutics

“Most people would prefer to take a pill over an injection,” Mir Imran, CEO and founder of Rani Therapeutics, told Digital Trends. “But not all drugs can be taken orally. This is true of most biologics, including insulin and the world’s top-selling drug, Humira. Despite dozens of attempts by others in the industry and billions of dollars spent on the pursuit of ‘oral biologics,’ Rani is the first to demonstrate an effective oral alternative to injections.”

The RaniPill was recently the subject of a successful human trial, following more than 100 previous animal studies testing the smart pill’s drug-delivering potential. In the study, it was shown to offer 100 percent equivalence with injections. Carried out at a Clinical Research Organization (CRO) in Texas, the human trial involved 10 subjects who were divided into two groups. One group ate before taking the pill, while the other group fasted. All 10 then swallowed a RaniPill capsule, containing no drugs, which allowed the researchers to examine the safety and tolerability of the device alone. X-rays tracked the pills every 30 minutes. During (and after) the study, the patients reported no discomfort. This included feeling no sensation when the pill inflated, when it deployed its non-contents, and when it was passed at the, er, other end.

“Other human trials will be conducted later this year that will use a drug-filled needle,” Imran continued. “Rani has also entered into multiple agreements with pharmaceutical companies to use the RaniPill capsule to deliver drugs to their consumers. [The company] also has plans to release its own molecules. Further announcements regarding the new trials, proprietary and partnerships will be made later this year and throughout 2020.”

Editors' Recommendations

Luke Dormehl
I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…
This artificial heart could help keep people on transplant waiting lists alive
Heart

Carmat TAH 3D video - Presentation

A French company called Carmat has created an artificial heart that could potentially help save the lives of people with end-stage biventricular heart failure. And, no, this isn’t some piece of future tech that won’t be available for another decade or so; it has already been used on actual patients -- including one who  had the implanted heart two years ago. And it's coming to the United States.

Read more
Samsung’s new upcycling program turns your old phone into a SmartThings device
samsung galaxy upcycling at home ces 2021 smartthings

The smartphone business isn't exactly the most eco-friendly. Companies have been working to correct that in recent years, like through programs that disassemble and reuse the metals inside of our phones, but there's still a long way to go. Samsung has announced an alternative solution to the problem, though -- the new Galaxy Upcycling at Home initiative that envisions your old Galaxy phones as smart home devices.

Galaxy Upcycling at Home works with Samsung's SmartThings smart home system and allows users to designate their old phones as a number of different things.

Read more
Nobi smart lamp senses movement to discern when older people are in distress
Nobi Smart Lamp

Having to move into or admit a loved one into an assisted living facility is a wrenching decision. Medically focused technology has always been a major presence at CES and this year is no different. The Nobi Smart Lamp offers one way of keeping tabs on older loved ones to make sure they're not in any sort of distress.

The Nobi Smart Lamp utilizes artificial intelligence to monitor those living alone and can automatically detect when someone falls. According to Nobi, one in three people over 65 fall at least once per year, often resulting in serious injuries. If the person cannot get up, the results can be catastrophic.

Read more