SAN DIEGO, Nov. 29, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The following statement is issued by TheRecover.com: For those with a daily medication regimen, taking medication can be hard to follow. For those with Schizophrenia and Bi-Polar disorder, taking medication is not always welcomed due to the severity of the disorders and many patients find themselves not taking their medications as prescribed. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the first drug in the US with a digital ingestion tracking system.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ef03884d-1ed9-4ad2-b6b4-b0df85600bea
Abilify MyCite, an aripiprazole tablet that is embedded with an ingestible sensor, uses digital tracking to record whether the medication was taken. It’s been approved to treat schizophrenia, acute treatment of manic and mixed episodes with bipolar 1 disorder and for use as an add on treatment for depression in adults.
Abilify MyCite’s Sensor has been around since 2012, developed by Proteus Digital Health. British Airways got in on the digitalized drug game in 2016, when they patented a sensor packed smart pill that measures your stomach acidity, temperature and more to help fight jet lag.
Some people worry about the pills uses, and say it can be misused as a medicinal “Big Brother” type drug. “I get questions all the time, ‘Hey is the government going to use this, and can you track me?’” said Eric Buffkin, an etectRx senior vice president. “Frankly, there is a creepiness factor of this whole idea of medicine tracking."
People who agree to the digital medication can sign consent forms allowing their doctors and up to four other people, family members included, to receive electronic data showing when the medication is being taken.
If a patient changes their mind, the smartphone app will let them block recipients anytime they’d like. It is voluntary, but the app will prompt questions about privacy and patients might feel pressure to take their medication in a form their doctor can monitor.
Digital tools require effort, using an app or wearing a patch, and experts say they will be most welcomed by older people who need help remembering to take the medication or those who have definite courses of medication for illnesses like tuberculosis where nurses often observe patients taking the medication.
It is possible the technology could be used to monitor whether post-surgical patients took too much opioid medication or if clinical trial participants correctly took drugs being tested.
Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, chairman of psychiatry at Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, said many psychiatrists would likely want to try digital Abilify, especially for patients who just experienced their first psychotic episode and are at risk of stopping medication after feeling better.
He noted it has only been approved to track doses and has not yet shown to improve adherence. “Is it going to lead to people having fewer relapses, not having unnecessary hospital readmissions, being able to improve their vocational and social life?” he asked.
Author: Kevin Leonard
Organization: TheRecover.com
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