Ingestible Microchip Tracks Vital Signs

A specialized microchip that can be added to pills will enable doctors to monitor some of their patients' vital signs.

The Ingestible Event Marker (IEM) is a specialized microchip which that is added to a pill, thus colloquially termed "Chip on a Pill.” When a patient ingests an IEM-enhanced pill, gastric acids activate the microchip, which then sends vital signs data such as heart rate, temperature, and body movements to a dermal patch via Bluetooth connectivity. The external patch can then export the data to an electronic medical record (EMR), making it accessible by medical staff via a smartphone or a designated website. However, the accessibility of the data via Bluetooth to all in range has also raised questions regarding privacy issues.


The technology is projected to be adopted eventually as part of many regular pill regimens, transmitting a range of biological data to physicians so that they can monitor not only their patients' pharmaceutical intakes, but also how well the drugs are working. The ability to monitor regularly signs such as temperature and heart rate could help physicians better tailor a medication regimen for individual patients, thus ensuring that the dosage is as close to perfect as possible. The IEM is being developed by Novartis (Basel, Switzerland), using technology licensed from Proteus Biomedical (Redwood City, CA, USA; proteus.bz). The initial clinical program will use an established drug taken by transplant patients to avoid organ rejection.

"We are taking forward this transplant drug with a chip and we hope within the next 18 months to have something that we will be able to submit to the regulators, at least in Europe,” said Trevor Mundel, global head of development at Novartis. "I see the promise as going much beyond that; the concept can be applied to many other pills.”

Related Links:
Novartis
Proteus Biomedical