Patent ID: 8562589

Claim:
A swallowable device for delivering a therapeutic agent preparation into an intestinal wall of a patient's intestinal tract, the device comprising: a swallowable capsule sized to pass through the intestinal tract, the capsule having a capsule wall including an aperture; an expandable member disposed within the capsule in at least a partially non-expanded state, the expandable member including a first portion and a second portion separated by a separation valve which degrades upon exposure to a selected pH in the patient's intestine, the first portion including a liquid, the second portion including a reactant configured to react with the liquid to produce a gas which expands the expandable member, wherein when the valve degrades, the liquid from the first portion mixes with the reactant in the second portion, to produce the gas which expands the expandable member; and a tissue penetrating member formed at least in part from a therapeutic agent preparation, the tissue penetrating member including a proximal and distal portion, the proximal portion detachably coupled to the expandable member, the tissue penetrating member including at least one retaining feature for retaining the tissue penetrating member within the intestinal wall, wherein upon expansion of the expandable member, the tissue penetrating member is advanced through the aperture into the intestinal wall where it is retained by the at least one retaining feature so as to detach from the expandable member.