Proteus Biomedical: “Proteus ingestible event markers (IEMs) are tiny, digestible sensors made from food ingredients, which are activated by stomach fluids after swallowing. Once activated, the IEM sends an ultra low-power, private, digital signal through the body to a microelectronic receiver that is either a small bandage style skin patch or a tiny device insert under the skin. The receiver date- and time-stamps, decodes, and records information such as the type of drug, the dose, and the place of manufacture, as well as measures and reports physiologic measures such as heart rate, activity, and respiratory rate. The IEM is the cornerstone of the company’s Raisin™ System, which is currently in clinical development. The Raisin™ System measures the body’s response to medications and is intended to improve the management of chronic diseases like heart failure, infectious disease and psychiatric disorders.”
The Financial Times is reporting that the pharmaceutical company Novartis is partnering with Proteus Biomedical to implant these IEMs into oral blood pressure medications. The IEMs are designed to send reminders to patients, in the form of a text message, when non-compliant with their medication regimens.
No word on what blood pressure medication they’re using, but Novartis is the maker of Lotrel, Tekturna and Diovan.
Remember, Big Brother is watching.
This would be great for tracking the physiological affects of medications in the elderly. Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics can be very different in the elderly than in younger patients due to differences in body composition (less muscle and more fat), pathology, and other affects of aging. Since most clinical trials are done with a younger population sample, the recommended doasages may not be appropriate for the elderly. In addition, it is sometimes difficult to determine the affects of a drug in patients who are taking many medications (i.e. polypharmacy). These ingestible event markers might help to track the efficany of particular drugs even in the case where the patient is taking multiple medications.