Patent ID: 7163693

Claim:
A multi-component pharmaceutical dosage form which comprises a plurality of sub-units, each sub-unit being selected from: a linker, a closure cap, a drug substance-containing capsule compartment which is soluble or disintegrable in a patient's gastro-intestinal environment for release of the drug substance contained in the capsule compartment, and a solid matrix comprising a polymer and containing a drug substance, the polymer being soluble, dispersible or disintegrable in a patient's gastro-intestinal environment for release of the drug substance contained in the solid matrix, in which said dosage form comprises at least two drug substance-containing sub-units, in which the sub-units are disposed in end-to-end relationship along a line, and have outer walls surrounding said line, in which at least one said sub-unit is joined to at least one other sub-unit by a joint comprising a plug constituting a unitary part of one of the joined sub-units and a socket formed as a unitary part in the other of the joined sub-units, in which each of said plug and socket is radially smaller than the sub-unit of which it is a unitary part, and in which said plug closely fits into said socket, wherein the plug further comprises an end wall extending to the outer wall of the respective sub-units and is permanently secured by a weld, one of said two sub-units differs in composition and/or release characteristics from the drug substance present in the other of said two sub-units.