Technology companies are racing to track patients’ behavior in real time

More than two dozen companies are racing to develop digital technology to keep tabs on patients in real time: monitoring their vital signs, getting them to take their pills, even releasing medication into their body as needed.

The payoff for success will be twofold: possibly huge profits and access to a lucrative new trove of personal data.

Startup Proteus Digital Health and the Japanese drug company Otsuka Pharmaceutical are among the latest to push the limits of such technology. Together, they are seeking regulatory approval for a microchip embedded in Abilify, the antidepressant and antipsychotic medication. As the pill dissolves in the stomach, an electrical circuit forms with trace amounts of magnesium and zinc, activating the chip, which transmits a message to a bandage-like sensor worn on the abdomen.

A digital record is sent to the patient’s smartphone, and from there to a Proteus database, then back to the patient and family members — and doctors.

[“Source-statnews”]