Drug delivery system and drug capsule and transmitter used therefore

• US 20060093663A1
• Filed: 11/02/2005
• Published: 05/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Masahiro
• Application Number:
  US11/264,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20060093663A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 424/451
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0097 Micromachined devices; Microelectromechanical systems [MEMS]; Devices obtained by lithographic treatment of silicon; Devices comprising chips intradermal microneedle arrays A61K9/0021; MEMS in general B81B7/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/48 Preparations in capsules, e.g. of gelatin, of chocolate A61K9/0004 takes precedence; bite capsules A61K9/0056

Abstract

Release control of a drug in a drug capsule existing in a subject is extremely simply and accurately performed. A non-contact type IC chip which generates a voltage on the basis of a release command signal from the outside, and a piezoelectric actuator which is driven by the voltage, are attached on the surface of the drug capsule. The drug capsule is thrown into the subject by swallowing or the like. Then, the release command signal is radio-transmitted by a transmitter from the outside of the subject to the non-contact type IC chip at a predetermined timing, to perform drive control of the piezoelectric actuator, thereby making it possible to control separation or opening of the drug capsule, and to effect release control of the drug in the capsule.

Claims

1. A drug delivery system which performs release control of a drug in a subject, the drug delivery system comprising:

a drug capsule having a non-contact type IC chip which generates a voltage on the basis of a release command signal from the outside, and an actuator which is driven by said voltage; and

transmission means transmitting said release command signal to said non-contact type IC chip, wherein release control of the drug in said drug capsule is performed by drive control of said actuator.

2. The drug delivery system according to claim 1, wherein a specific ID is assigned to said non-contact type IC chip, wherein said transmission means is constituted to transmit ID information together with said release command signal, and wherein said non-contact type IC chip receives said ID information and generates said voltage, when the ID information coincides with the specific ID assigned to the non-contact type IC chip.

3. The drug delivery system according to claim 1, wherein said transmission means is constituted to generate a command signal for effecting and stopping the generation of said voltage.

4. The drug delivery system according to claim 3, wherein the release control of said drug is performed in step by step manner by the command signal for effecting and stopping the generation of said voltage.

5. A drug capsule comprising:

a non-contact type IC chip which generates a voltage on the basis of a drug release command signal from the outside; and

an actuator which is driven by said voltage, wherein drug release control is performed by drive control of said actuator.

6. The drug capsule according to claim 5, wherein said IC chip having a specific ID assigned thereto receives ID information transmitted together with said release command signal and generates said voltage when the ID information coincides with the specific ID assigned to the IC chip.

7. The drug capsule according to claim 5, further comprising a capsule body and a capsule cap, wherein a gap between said capsule body and said capsule cap is formed by driving said actuator.

8. The drug capsule according to claim 5, further comprising a capsule case having an opening/closing section, wherein open/close control of said opening/closing section is performed by drive control of said actuator.

9. The drug capsule according to claim 5, further comprising a flexible pressure chamber in which a drug is filled and which has a nozzle capable of jetting out the drug, wherein a pressure is applied to said pressure chamber by drive control of said actuator to effect release control of said drug.

10. A transmitter used in a drug delivery system which includes a drug capsule having an actuator and a non-contact type IC chip generating a voltage for driving the actuator, and which performs release control of a drug by drive control of said actuator, said transmitter comprising means for generating a command signal for drug release control and for performing radio transmission of the command signal.

11. The transmitter according to claim 10, wherein the radio transmitter also transmits ID information specifying a non-contact type IC chip.