Swallowing The Pill

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first digital drug in history that can be traced digitally in the human body. Experts state that this step is revolutionary in terms of medical history. In the statement made by the FDA on the subject, it was reported that the first digital drug with an ingestible sensor was approved for use in the treatment of some psychological disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Mitchell Mathis, Head of the Department of Psychiatric Products of the FDA, stated that thanks to the drug with an ingestible sensor, it is possible to monitor whether patients take their medications remotely. The digital drug, which includes a monitoring device developed by Proteus Digital Health, will be released by the company Abilify.

When the drug comes into contact with gastric fluid after swallowing by the patient, a signal is sent to the band attached to the body thanks to the sensor inside. Then, the information that the drug has been digested reaches the application on the patient's mobile phone from the tape. If they wish, patients can allow their relatives or doctors to access the information received on their mobile phones via a web-based portal. This new technology offers doctors an objective way to measure whether patients are taking their pills on time; It is also stated that this new technology developed can be used easily in many different treatment areas.

Using digital monitoring to record medication being taken, the product is approved for use in the treatment of schizophrenia, the acute treatment of manic and mixed episodes associated with bipolar disorder, and the adjunctive treatment of depression in adults. Making a statement about the new drug, the manufacturer Abilify announced that the drug has applications in other areas, but that they have not been approved for use for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychosis and very old psychosis patients.

Experts state that after the information to be obtained about this new drug technology, the method can become widespread rapidly and the follow-up of risky drugs and patients with problems can be facilitated. The use of digital medicine technology in green and red prescription drugs, which are also drugs, may come to the fore in the very near future.

Mitchell Mathis, of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said: "At the FDA, we support the development and use of new technologies in prescription drugs. The FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research will continue to work with companies to understand how the technology benefits patients and prescribers.”

In the new digital medicine system, a receiver tape is attached to the patient's body, this tape receives a signal from the swallowed drug, which can dissolve in the stomach, and initiates the tracking process. The drug contains two small surfaces coated with copper and magnesium. The drug, which enters the stomach acid, generates electricity like a battery thanks to these surfaces. With this energy, the circuit in the drug is activated and begins to send a signal. Then, the signal received from the drug is transmitted to the mobile phone as a message and evaluated. The stored data can be seen instantly by the doctor who has the permission to follow up. It is stated that digital medicine will make life easier for diabetes or heart patients who need to use regular medication in the near future.

In addition, it is stated that it can be very useful in some patients with complicated treatment processes, and it can also be useful in the follow-up of patients who are incompatible in using medication.

Of course, those who produce counterfeit drugs will be very upset by these developments.