The present article discusses the functionalization of psyllium by binary monomer mixture of acrylamide and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulphonic acid to develop the new drug delivery devices. These were characterized by SEMs, FTIR, TGA and swelling studies. The swelling kinetics of the hydrogels and release dynamics of drug (indinavir sulphate) from the drug loaded hydrogels has been studied for the evaluation of the swelling and drug release mechanism respectively. The release of the drug from the hydrogels occurred through Fickian diffusion mechanism in pH 2.2 buffer. The antiviral activity of indinavir sulphate for AIDS, anti-diarrhoeal action of psyllium and inhibitory effects of sulphated polymers on STD pathogens will enhance the potential of the drug delivery devices. (C) 2011 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.