Regulators in the U.S. have approved the first pill that can be digitally tracked through the body. The pill, about the size of a grain of sand, takes 30 minutes to two hours to detect (the sensor activates when it comes into contact with stomach fluid) and is to be used for treating schizophrenia and manic episodes.
The Abilify MyCite aripiprazole tablets record that the medication has been taken and the patient wears a patch which transmits that info to their smartphone- and whoever is keeping tabs on them- like the prescribing doctor (although patients have to consent to that). 1
At this time, the pills aren’t licensed for elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis. 2
“Experts hope it could improve medication compliance, although the company that makes the tablets says this has not been proved for their product.” 3
How do you feel about this? The idea that this tech could allow doctors to better understand medication compliance is a good thing, to be sure. It could also be beneficial to loved ones who need their family members to stay on their meds. However, this could potentially be a slippery slope- allowing your doctor to essentially “spy” on you opens up a huge can of worms. If the FDA is willing to allow this, what won’t they allow?
Our privacy continues to slip away.
