xcelodose u201d mettler toledo u201c quantos u201d and symyx u201c powdernium u201d some feasible ways to adapt current micro dosing design principles toward multi drug capability involve coordinating multiple dispensing arms and heads for multiple frequently used apis drugs some of which could remain on u201c stand by u201d during any given prescription when not among the apis being selected u2014 for embodiments where supplies of all available ingredients need not be loaded by the operator between every use this could be arranged such that the chosen heads travel to each capsule u2014 or vice versa with these approaches a microbalance weighing the capsules being filled may provide only an aggregate reading for total accumulated content dispensed hence the feedback algorithm might also continuously calculate the subset of weight attributable to each additional drug being dispensed in succession or re tare between additional coordination and control algorithms could be included to handle issues of sequence management non interference etc many such adaptations are possible with varying degrees of complexity but with comparable feasibility as for many similar electro mechanical pharmaceutical devices embodiments may comprise barriers between apis that should not be in contact within capsules i e for inter drug stability concerns in vitro one way to achieve intra capsule separation is a u201c capsule in capsule u201d approach preparing a small capsule 703 containing api s 704 to be segregated from other s for subsequent insertion into a larger capsule 705 containing said other s 706 this would require a machine amenable to varying capsule sizes and perhaps capsule substances and could incorporate a mechanism for automated insertion of the smaller capsule into the larger capsule u2014 performed along with api dispensing into the larger capsule micro encapsulated api particles 707 may instead provide separation on the particle level.