Digital Pill

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the first pill that can tell your doctor whether or not you’ve taken your medication. Abilify MyCite combines the antipsychotic drug aripiprazole with an ingestible sensor that is activated when it comes into contact with stomach fluids. The information is transmitted to a wearable patch that can be monitored by the patient using a mobile smartphone application. Individuals may also grant access to the information by caregivers and physicians through a web-based portal.

Aripiprazole is commonly used to treat schizophrenia and acute manic episodes associated with bipolar disorder. The very nature of these conditions can make a patient forgetful or unwilling to take their medication; however, successful treatment requires regularly scheduled doses. While advances such as this could help prevent lapses in treatment, the developers are careful to note that the product has not yet been demonstrated to improve patient compliance.

Dispensing instructions include information for ensuring that the patient is capable and willing to use the tracking system.