US approves pill with digital tracking device

WASHINGTON: United States regulators have approved the first pill that contains a digital tracking sensor to alert doctors and caregivers as to whether a patient is taking the medication as scheduled.

The pill, called Abilify MyCite (aripiprazole tablets with sensor), is designed for patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

A patient ingests the pill, and a sensor inside the pill activates when it reaches the stomach fluids, sending a message to a wearable patch.

This patch then transmits the information to a mobile app, so that a doctor and up to four caregivers, friends or family members can see the information through a web-based portal.

“Being able to track ingestion of medications prescribed for mental illness may be useful for some patients,” FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research director of psychiatry products Mitchell Mathis said in a statement on Monday.

“The FDA supports the development and use of new technology in prescription drugs and is committed to working with companies to understand how technology might benefit patients and prescribers.”

Although the sensor can alert caregivers, the makers of Abilify, Japan-based Otsuka Pharmaceutical, said it was unclear whether the tracking device would improve patients’ ability to take their medication daily as prescribed. AFP