Liquitab, not a hard pill to swallow

February 2012

The days of taking costly liquid antibiotics will soon be over for people suffering dysphagia - discomfort when swallowing pills. Liquitab Systems Ltd. has engaged with MCN to develop a unique technology, capable of grinding pills into a palatable liquid

Utilising facilities at MCN, Liquitab have developed a unique technology capable of crushing and grinding commercially pressed-pill medications into a palatable liquid. The technology harnesses high frequency ultrasonic vibrations to grind pressed-pill medicines and is aimed at assisting those who have difficulty swallowing conventional tablets.

The Liquitab tablet-crushing technology involves the deformation of a metal ring embedded with a removable non-reactive cup. The pressed pill is placed into the cup and ground using the resonant frequency omitted by a transducer. The result is a powdered medication that can be mixed with water to assist with administration.

Professor James Friend applied his expertise and knowledge of ultrasonics to enhance performance of the device. According to Professor Friend, “Tweaking and refining the design of the connecting arm, and adjusting the resonant frequency omitted by the transducer,” produced a far more efficient delivery of ultrasonic vibration. Upon completion of the simulation, design and testing phases, the transition time from solid to tablet powder was reduced from 6 minutes to approximately 1 minute.

This collaboration was facilitated by Grey Innovation and further highlights how the STIUP program can facilitate innovation between industry and academia.