Taking medication every single day can be difficult for many people, especially those living with chronic conditions like schizophrenia.
To help make treatment easier, researchers from MIT and the company Lyndra Therapeutics have developed a new kind of pill that only needs to be taken once a week.
Early results from a clinical trial show that this pill works just as well as daily medication—and it might make a big difference for people who struggle to stick to their medication schedule.
The pill is part of a new drug delivery system that’s been in development for over a decade.
Once swallowed, it opens up inside the stomach into a star-like shape that slowly releases the drug over several days.
This shape allows it to stay in the stomach and release medication steadily all week long.
After about a week, the arms of the star break apart and pass through the body naturally.
In the recent phase 3 clinical trial, researchers tested this new pill using risperidone, a common drug used to manage symptoms of schizophrenia.
Typically, patients have to take risperidone every day. There are also injectable versions, but those require visits to a doctor or nurse and are not always preferred by patients.
The study involved 83 patients at five different locations in the United States. Of those, 45 completed all five weeks of the trial, taking just one pill each week.
Throughout the study, researchers checked how much medication was in each patient’s bloodstream.
They saw that after each weekly pill, drug levels rose and then gradually declined—but always stayed within the ideal range.
This steady release was more consistent than daily pills, which often show larger ups and downs depending on when or if a dose is taken.
Importantly, the patients’ symptoms remained stable, with no signs of worsening. The researchers used a standard rating system called PANSS (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale) to monitor their condition.
The results suggest that the once-a-week pill was just as effective as taking the drug daily.
Some patients reported mild side effects at the beginning, such as acid reflux or constipation, but these were temporary and not severe. Overall, the treatment was well tolerated.
Experts say this new approach could help many patients who struggle to take medication every day—especially those with mental health conditions that affect memory or daily routines.
For people with schizophrenia, missing medication can lead to relapse and even hospitalization, so having a simpler, once-a-week option could be a big improvement.
The team behind the pill hopes to run more large-scale trials before applying for FDA approval. They are also working on adapting the capsule to deliver other types of medication, such as contraceptives.
This breakthrough shows how new technology, developed with both science and patient needs in mind, could soon make managing chronic illnesses simpler and more reliable for many people.
