Menu
 

Health

The latest studies and news on health; features on nutrition, fitness, diseases, medicines, new products and healthy living
Back

The chill pill

Author: admin

Electronic bracelets for prisoners on probation… yawn; microchips that keep tabs on the enemy…old hat; but ‘digital pills’? Now here’s the plot of a futuristic pot-boiler, it would seem. The US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has approved a ‘trackable pill’ that can help doctors track whether or not their patients have taken their medication. Called Abilify MyCite, it is an aripiprazole (antipsychotic) drug that comes with sensor technology. Manufactured by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co and Proteus Digital Health, the digital pill communicates with a wearable patch on the patient’s skin. So once the pill reaches the stomach fluids, the sensor is activated and transmits information to an app on your smartphone, and then to your family or doctor. The pill-technology combo has been approved for the treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression in adults.

Photo: iStock
Featured in Harmony — Celebrate Age Magazine
April 2018