by Stefania Revelli
WHAT’S HAPPENING
- Patients can swallow it and forget it — the first ingestible digital pill has received FDA approval (iHealthBeat.org, 3 August 2012).
- The copper and magnesium digital “pill” is only as large as a speck of sand and, when placed inside a pill and ingested, sends an electric signal to a skin patch worn by users.
- The microchip system tracks things like time the medication was taken and vitals like heart rate and temperature; the information is automatically sent to healthcare professionals.
- The digital pill is approved for placebos and meant to better regulate a patient’s medication adherence and monitor a patient’s response to meds, especially in persons with chronic conditions like hypertension or diabetes.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
- Health MonitorSM meets TechnomorphingSM. It may seem like something out of a science fiction movie, but the digitization of drugs is very much a reality. Digital medication may be a tough concept to swallow, but nobody can really argue against devices that promote safety, efficacy, education and freedom from error.
RESOURCES
