Smart pill lets doctor know it’s been taken

THE first smart pill, which tells doctors if patients have taken their medication, has been approved by regulators in the United States, paving the way for a new generation of electroceuticals.

The pills have an ingestible sensor, about the size of a grain of sand, embedded inside them that sends a message once it comes into contact with stomach acid and transmits to a wearable smart patch that is worn on the rib cage.

The new technology has been added to the drug Ablify, which has been used to treat people suffering from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder since 2002.

People with mental disorders often struggle to remember to take medicine, so the pill could give an early warning to doctors that a patient may be struggling.

Patients who agree to take the digital medication, sign consent forms allowing their doctors and up to four other people, including family, to receive electronic updates showing the date and time pills are ingested.

Unused medication costs the NHS £300million a year. There has been no request for use outside the US yet.