What Are “Smart Pills” and How Can They Be Applied to Healthcare
Smart pills are very small electronic devices that are shaped and made to fit into medication capsules. These pills have many functions such as sensing, imaging, and drug delivery.
Similarly to normal pills and capsules, these small electronic devices are swallowed and then travel along the digestive tract. While the pill goes through its journey of digestion, it will be able to obtain any relevant information that may be too invasive to access if obtained a more conventional way. Eventually, the pill will get eliminated from the body.
There are many applications for the use of these smart pills such as…
Diagnostic Imaging
Anytime a probe would need to be inserted into the body, smart pills can replace this and there will be little to no risk of damage in the patient’s body. There would be less risk involved because endoscopy probes, for example, have a chance of tearing the esophagus anytime throughout the procedure.
Monitoring
Core body temperature and local pH could be measured with the ingestion of a smart pill. For body temperature, this can provide more accurate readings than an external thermometer. The ability to check pH levels in a patient’s gastrointestinal tract is beneficial in screening for ulcers or any tumors.
Targeted Drug Delivery
With a smart pill, drug delivery can be better controlled in the body. By having an environmental sensor, a feedback algorithm, and a drug release mechanism, it creates the possibility of a more targeted therapy to increase patient outcomes.
Future Use
Smart pills have the potential to be used in everyday medical practices to replace certain tests that deem to be too invasive and have a relatively high risk. However, the biggest obstacle for the increased use of these smart pills would be its price. For example, Proteus Digital Health is just one company that focuses on the technology of smart pills. They mostly design their products around monitoring treatment effectiveness to improve patient outcomes for chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. With that being said, the estimated cost of using a smart pill would be $1020–$1260 per year for a patient. This is a hefty amount for most people so it may take time to fully implement this technology to the general public for daily use.
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