If you have problems remembering to take your meds — or whether you’ve taken them already — some high-tech products on the horizon may be able to help you.
Companies are using wireless technology, the same mechanism by which you use a cell phone or the Internet, to develop devices that monitor whether you took your pills as the doctor ordered, beaming information back to you, your doctor or a designated family member. In some cases, this requires swallowing a microchip about as thin as a few human hairs.
The concept may sound invasive, but it has the potential to save as much as $290 billion annually in increased medical costs. That amount is lost every year because of people not taking medications as prescribed. Drug adherence is only 50 percent among people with chronic illnesses in developed countries, and in developing nations it is probably lower, according to the World Health Organization.
One innovation involves a pill that, once ingested, wirelessly transmits information about side effects and how well it’s working. The product with the most recent buzz in this arena is being developed by Proteus Biomedical, a California-based start-up. Novartis AG recently invested $24 million in Proteus to secure licenses and options on the company’s drug-delivery technologies.
Here’s how it works: The patient swallows a pill that contains both medicine and an ultra-tiny sensor chip. This sensor is made of food and vitamin materials, in very small, safe quantities, said Proteus CEO Andrew Thompson.
These materials get activated by the patient’s stomach acid, essentially making the human body a battery, he said.
Then, the chip sends a signal to a waterproof skin patch, akin to a bandage that the person wears.
The patch picks up data about heart rate, body angle, temperature, sleep, and other parameters. If the patient comes within 20 feet of his or her phone, the encrypted data are sent to Proteus, which processes it and sends it back in a readable form to a cell phone or e-mail account.
Although this has implications for how doctors treat patients, the focus is on the patients themselves and their families taking care of them. The information that the pill picks up gets shared only with the patient’s permission.
Proteus is working with large technology companies on the privacy aspect of the device.
The pill is in clinical trials for heart disease, hypertension, and tuberculosis patients, and will begin testing in psychiatric illnesses also.
The product should be on the market by late 2011.
With many illnesses such as oncology and transplantation, compliance is a major issue, with an immediate cost to the system. From that perspective in terms of outcomes, the value of this kind of technology seems to be clear.
Caduceus is committed to providing ACCESS to all patients. Keep your doctor at your fingertips and download the Caduceus iPhone app, first ever in the country for a medical group!
Source: http://tinyurl.com/yervmoq
Written by Caduceus Medical Group
Caduceus is a community based multi-specialty medical group practice and health care management company. Caduceus is owned by its doctors and is unique in its independence from interference by health plans or hospitals. Caduceus utilizes guaranteed access to care as a cornerstone of its philosophy. SAME DAY VISITS and ONLINE CONCIERGE SERVICES services are an example of the innovative approach Caduceus takes to the delivery of health care. Visit our website at www.caduceusmedicalgroup.com to learn more about us! Become a fan on Facebook/search: Caduceus Medical Group. Follow us on Twitter@caduceusmedical.
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