Ingestible Marker Reliably Tracks Ingestion Events

A novel ingestible event marker helps clinicians overcome the challenges of patient non-adherence to medication regimens.

The etectRx (Gainesville, FL, USA) ID-Cap system is comprised of a gelatin capsule (the ID-Capsule) which contains the ID-Tag, a sensor that emits a low-power digital signal from inside the patient to monitor real-time, dose-level ingestion event verification. After it is ingested and activated by the patient's stomach fluid, it transmits signals to the wearable ID-Cap reader, which verifies the signal as a valid ingestion event and forwards the data to a secure, smartphone-based mobile application and to the healthcare provider via Dashboard, a secure web-based portal.

The ID-Cap System is intended to log, track, and trend intake times in order to enable unattended data collection of medication adherence for a range of clinical applications. It may be used when quantifiable analysis of ingestion events is needed, including events signaled by the co-ingestion with the ID-Capsule. Eventually, after the ID-Cap capsule dissolves, the ultra-thin, flexible ID-Tag sensor is eliminated via the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

“The technology could enable doctors to better know if their patients are compliant with a therapy regimen and tailor their treatment practices, based on real-world use data,” said Harry Travis, CEO of etectRx. “A patient swallows their pill, they have their reader on, and within a few minutes of swallowing their pill, they get a notification on their cell phone that says, ‘Thank you for taking your medicine’.”

Estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO, Geneva, Switzerland) indicate that only about 50% of patients in developed countries follow treatment recommendations. Low rates of adherence for asthma, diabetes, and hypertension are thought to contribute substantially to the human and economic burden of those conditions. Major barriers to compliance include the complexity of modern medication regimens, poor "health literacy" and lack of comprehension of treatment benefits, undiscussed side effects, the cost of prescription medicine, and poor communication or lack of trust between patient and health-care provider.

Related Links:
etectRx
World Health Organization