Computer Chip in a Pill: New Advancement in Med Care

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Have you considered taking in some strange medicine? This may seem a lot stranger, because recent medical tech has developed a new pill that can send messages to you and your doctor as you swallow it.









In September 2015, the United States FDA has approved the manufacture of a special form of digital medicine, i.e.a tiny computer you can swallow like a pill.  With this new advancement in med care, doctors may be able to easily monitor their patients' health, even when they are not in the clinic or hospital room.

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This new type of pill was developed by Otsuka Pharmaceuticals in collaboration with Proteus Digital Health. Otsuka has been known in Japan and worldwide for bringing us the sports drink, Pocari Sweat, and the leading schizophrenia and bipolar disorder medication Abilify. On the other hand, Proteus Digital Health has been making waves in the US for their health patches designed to read patient's bio stats like blood pressure, temperature, and heart rate.

The digital technology is initially tested on samples of Abilify pills. The main goal of this effort was to help doctors know if their patients have taken their pills on time. More of than not, those who need to take Abilify forget about their daily doses, resulting in health complications and other problems.

Through the new digital medicine, which is essentially a pill of Abilify embedded with a tiny sensor, data readings can be send to a Proteus Digital patch, which the patient is wearing. Once swallowed and digested in the stomach, the patch transmits data to an app for viewing by the patient and the doctor (with the patient's consent, of course).

This smart and safe system then allows health care providers to keep track of how their wards are doing, and help them to make better decisions when it comes to treatment options and care.


Source:
Tech Craiz