Patent ID: 7147867

Claim:
A sustained-release dosage form for the delivery of a progestogenic steroid, the dosage form comprising: a capsule; a self-emulsifying drug formulation contained within a first portion of the capsule, the self-emulsifying drug formulation comprising a progestogenic steroid, an oil wherein the oil is selected from the group consisting of a vegetable, mineral, animal and marine oil, an ester of an unsaturated fatty acid, a monoglyceride, a diglyceride, a triglyceride, an acetylated glyceride, olein, palmitin, stearin, lauric acid hexylester, oleic acid, oleylester, glycolyzed ethoxylated glycerides of oils, fatty acids comprising 13 molecules of ethyleneoxide, and oleic acid decylester, and an emulsifier selected from the group consisting of polyoxyethylenated castor oil, polyoxyethylene lauryl ether, polyoxyethylenated stearic acid, polyoxyethylenated stearyl alcohol, and polyoxyethylenated oleyl alcohol; an expandable layer contained within a second portion of the capsule, wherein the expandable layer is positioned such that the self-emulsifying drug formulation can be expelled from the capsule upon expansion of the expandable layer; and a semipermeable membrane formed over at least a portion of an outer surface of the capsule wherein the semipermeable membrane comprises a thermoplastic polymer composition having a softening point of 40° C. to 180° C.