“Smart Pills”
Presentation by Erin Yousef
Ingestible Event
Markers (IEMs)
•Tiny digestible sensors
made from food ingredients
•Activated by stomach fluids
after swallowing
•Sends low-power digital
signal through body to a
micro electric receiver
The Receiver
•A skin patch like a small
bandage
•Or a tiny device inserted
under skin
•Date and time stamp,
decodes, and records
information (the type of
drug, the dose, the place of
manufacture
•Measures and reports heart
rate, activity, and respiratory
rate.
Where does the information go?
The data collected by the IEM can be received by family members and
doctors
Used to monitor dosage, know when the person takes his or her medicine
and how much was taken
Information can be sent to a cell phone or computer
More about the Raisin™ System
Manufactured on silicon wafers
A few cents per sensor in large quantities.
Currently in clinical development
Measures the body’s response to medications
Intended to improve the management of chronic diseases like heart failure,
infectious disease and psychiatric disorders.
Potential Benefits
Medication problems result in 3.5 million hospital admissions annually in
the US
Account for 11 percent of all admissions to the emergency room.
Estimated 40 percent of all hospital admissions for the elderly are due to
medication problems.
Has potential to reduce medication problems such as overdose and
skipping doses
Potential Problems
Individuals come to rely too much on doctors and family and cannot
manage medication alone if necessary
Does the Raisin™ System provide too much information?
Sources
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2008/05/05/story3.html
http://www.proteusbiomed.com/proteus_technology.html
http://mobihealthnews.com/tag/smart-pill/
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/dec2008/gb2008123_24
1348.htm