Digital drugs

For people with mental health failure to take medication can be a big problem. So The Food and Drug Administration in the US has approved the first drug with a digital ingestion tracking system.

It’s a pill with a sensor embedded inside which records the medicine was taken when it comes into contact with stomach fluid.

This signal is then transmitted to a patch on the patient’s body, which sends the information to their smartphone. With the patient’s consent, their doctor and up to four other people can be alerted when the drug is ingested.

The pill, called Abilify MyCite (aripiprazole tablets with a sensor), has been approved for the treatment of schizophrenia, manic and mixed episodes associated with bipolar disorder, and as an add-on treatment for depression.