Researchers Tap New Technology To Track Mediciation Compliance

Scientists are developing new technology capable of tracking medication once it has been ingested, the Los Angeles Times reports.

By using new technology, next-generation pills aim to help patients adhere to their medication regimen and address issues with patient adherence to physician instructions.

The new technology is aimed at benefiting patients with chronic or complex ailments where forgetting to take medication properly can carry adverse health effects.

Another area that requires proper compliance when taking medication is in clinical trials. Currently, participants in clinical trials keep diaries to chart their medication regimen, but drug companies spend extra money to ensure the trials have a sufficient number of participants to account for those who fail to properly take their medication, according to the Times.

Examples of New Pills

Maysam Ghovanloo, an electrical engineer at the Georgia Institute of Technology, is developing MagneTrace, a necklace that uses radio-frequency identification to record every time a pill moves through the esophagus. The RFID chip on the pill is coated with non-reactive material so it will dissolve and allow the hardware to pass through the digestive system.

The necklace also can send an alert to a cell phone notifying the patient when the next dose should be taken.

A similar technology is the ID-Cap, developed by University of Florida electronic engineer Rizwan Bashirullah.

The ID-Cap is a sticker that is half the size of a postage stamp and that contains a microchip, antenna and acid sensor. The cap sends electronic signals through body tissue to a receiver, worn on the wrist. Bashirullah estimates that if demand for the new devices is high, they could cost less than one dollar per pill.

Privacy Concerns 

Bashirullah said that information such devices produce is under patients’ control.

He added that the pills do not differ substantially from electronic implants such as pacemakers and other devices that transmit heart rate data (Dance, Los Angeles Times, 1/10).

Source: iHealthBeat