Far more drugs could be taken orally by formulating them with silica nanoparticles

Pill dropped in water

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Many more medicines could be made water soluble making taking them easier for patients

Silica nanoparticles with ultrahigh densities of silanol groups can bind many common medicines and release them in water, researchers in China have shown. The work could provide a widely applicable, cheap and non-toxic way to improve drugs’ solubility.