Digital pills?! The U.S. has approved the use pills that contain a tiny digital device. The purpose is to track the whether or not patients are taking their medications when they are supposed to. When the pills containing the device enter the stomach, the acid in there causes a very small electric current to be generated, releasing a signal that can be detected outside the body. The medication that will first use this technology, is Abilify®, which is used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
While not in the oncology field yet, the technology has tremendous potential and also raises interesting ethical questions.
Image Credit
Merged graphics from Pixabay
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