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RIYADH: A joint research team from King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology and the University of California, San Diego, has developed a smart multi-compartment capsule that contains the medications a patient requires throughout the day.

The development is a breakthrough and a new approach in the field of timed drug delivery, customized to each patient’s needs, according to a KACST press release reported by the Saudi Press Agency.

The capsule’s design uses a programmed release mechanism in a single unit, helping patients — especially those on several medications — follow treatment plans more easily.

This innovation improves adherence, enhances drug efficacy, and supports better health outcomes in a personalized care framework, the SPA added.

The US-patented capsule features smart polymer barriers that separate medications, releasing each at the right time. Some parts also self-regulate to relieve pain or respond quickly to urgent needs.

The capsule reduces drug interactions, missed doses, and the risk of an overdose. The World Health Organization reports that nearly 50 percent of chronic illness patients fail to take medications as prescribed, leading to complications and higher healthcare costs.

KACST Bioengineering Institute lead researcher Dr. Amal Abbas said the innovation simplifies medication management through a smart capsule that delivers the right drug, in the right dose, at the right time.

She added that it aims to improve adherence rates and cut costs from unused or improperly used medications.

The capsule will transform how patients manage several medications for chronic and heart conditions, making therapies smarter, simpler, and more effective, driving a shift toward personalized medicine, according to the report.

Abbas said that clinical tests have shown promising results in patients with Parkinson’s, providing rapid and sustained responses to symptom-control drugs.

Aligned with Vision 2030 goals, the capsule could reduce healthcare and pharmaceutical costs by up to 20 percent and hospital operating costs by up to 8 percent, while improving overall health outcomes through advanced technology, the SPA reported.

The team is completing regulatory procedures to begin precise preclinical and clinical trials to confirm the innovation’s safety and effectiveness, the report said.

RIYADH: ������Ƶ’s General Directorate of Narcotics Control has assisted the UAE to thwart an attempt to smuggle 89,760 amphetamine pills into the country, the Ministry of Interior’s security spokesman said on Sunday.

The banned drugs were hidden in a consignment of clothing accessories, Brig. Gen. Talal bin Shalhoub said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency on Sunday.

Shalhoub stated that the monitoring of criminal networks involved in drug smuggling, along with information shared by the GDNC with its UAE counterpart, led to the operation’s success.

In addition, Saudi authorities said customs operations at land, air and sea ports in the Kingdom recorded 1,371 seizures of prohibited items in a single week, the SPA reported.

The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, or ZATCA, said there were 47 cases involving hashish, cocaine, heroin, shabu, and captagon pills, and 333 of other prohibited substances.

Customs officials also thwarted 1,046 attempts to smuggle tobacco and its derivatives into the country. They further dealt with 15 cases related to sums of money, and three incidents involving weapons and their accessories, the SPA stated in a separate report.

The ZATCA has called on the public to support its efforts by reporting smuggling activities through its designated hotline, 1910, via email at [email protected], or by calling the international number 009661910.

The ZATCA assured the public that all reports will be treated confidentially, with financial rewards for accurate information.