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Pill-in-a-Straw Delivery System Resurrected

The XStraw pill delivery system makes taking medication easier for children and elderly patients.

XStraw / Photo: Tierney
XStraw / Photo: Tierney

Anyone who has tried to get a child to take a bitter tasting pill knows it’s no easy task. What if patients could drink their dose instead? Enter the XStraw. XStraw is a drinking straw filled with pellets that are virtually tasteless to the consumer. They are pre-filled with exactly the required dosage on fully automatic systems, ruling out the risk of overdosing. As the patient drinks, a control filter moves upwards ensuring the proper dosage is consumed.

The XStraw can be custom printed for marketing or dosage purposes. They can also be stored anywhere thanks to perfectly matched polypropylene components and airtight aluminum blister packaging. The device was developed in Mexico about a decade ago and then forgotten, but it could be seeing commercial applications in Europe and Asia as soon as next year. Raumedic handles development and serial production of the device, and DS Technology fills the straws and individually packages them.

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