NTU Assoc Prof Joachim Loo and LiberaTx COO Shashi Kesavapany holding their new drug microcapules in their hands

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, have developed a new pill that could be used to slowly deliver medication over a 24-hour period to people living with Parkinson’s disease.

They hope that delivering Parkinson’s medication in this way could help manage symptoms which can occur when people experience ‘off’ periods between taking medications. A team at the university’s startup LiberaTx is now commercialising the technology and planning clinical trials to test the efficacy of the pill.

Joachim Loo (pictured left), associate professor at the university and founder of LiberaTx, said: “We hope that […] reducing dosage to just once-a-day would greatly improve patient compliance, lower the pill burden of these patients, while alleviating the ‘off’ periods that these patients experience. Achieving this would greatly improve quality of life for the patient.”

If the pill is proven successful for treating Parkinson’s disease, it may also be used for treating other conditions that require taking multiple drugs daily.

Lead image credit: NTU Singapore