When Swallowing Microchips is Good for Your Health
Although he's much, much too modest to put up a post about this himself, Dr. George Savage, a frequent presence here on Ricochet, is playing a central role in a truly mind-blowing medical development. From the British newspaper, The Independent:
An edible microchip that records the precise details of a patient's pill regime will be available in Britain by the end of year following a commercial deal that opens the door to an era of digital medicines.
An American biomedical company [Proteus, George Savage's company]has signed up with a British healthcare firm to sell digestible sensors, each smaller than a grain of sand, that can trigger the transmission of medical information from a patient's body to the mobile phone of a relative or carer.
The aim is to develop a suite of "intelligent medicines" that can help patients and their carers keep track of which pills are taken at what time of day, in order to ensure that complex regimes of drugs are given the best possible chance of working effectively.
Congratulations, George!
And--ahem--when will be able to start swallowing your microchips here in the States?
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Re: When Swallowing Microchips is Good for Your Health
But what happens when it starts looking for Sarah Connor? Then what?
Dec '11
Re: When Swallowing Microchips is Good for Your Health
I prefer the suppository.
Dec '10
Re: When Swallowing Microchips is Good for Your Health
An Israeli company offers the "MtoA" camera pill that one swallows. The pill takes digital images at intervals during its travel along the alimentary canal. The attending nurse collects the pill once its journey is complete and the images upload wirelessly to a computer, where the gastroenterologist can study them.
I believe the pill is designed for single use only.
Oct '10
Re: When Swallowing Microchips is Good for Your Health
I'm having a procedure soon where you swallow a tiny camera, that takes pictures of your digestive track. I keep wondering if George had something to do with its development, since it seems so similar to what he's doing here.
Jul '11
Re: When Swallowing Microchips is Good for Your Health
Can I send an an electric shock or perhaps a staccato of embarrassing flatulence when I detect non-compliance with a pharmaceutical regimen. Neat gizmos coming every day mate.
Jul '11
Re: When Swallowing Microchips is Good for Your Health
That is a capsule the size of a pill. Different technology.
May '11
Re: When Swallowing Microchips is Good for Your Health
[Ring! Ring!] Oh, will you excuse me? It's my colon--I better take this call.
May '11
Re: When Swallowing Microchips is Good for Your Health
I just keep picturing Eric Cartman.
Oct '10
Re: When Swallowing Microchips is Good for Your Health
Might this be one of those pills that stays around for a while and tells tales on one ? Did have the supposed pleasure once of a medical camera and swallowing was not an option. Beat watching the Discovery Channel in an odd way.
Jun '10
Re: When Swallowing Microchips is Good for Your Health
Congratulations, Dr. Savage. Nicely done.
May '10
Re: When Swallowing Microchips is Good for Your Health
Magnificent. Heartiest congratulations. May it surpass your wildest dreans, George.
Jul '10
Re: When Swallowing Microchips is Good for Your Health
"We got a @#$%load of information from You."
Congratulations, Dr. Savage.
Sep '11
Re: When Swallowing Microchips is Good for Your Health
Great! One more thing to report to the Government. Easier to weed (less compliant) people out of the National Healtchcare.
Jan '11
Re: When Swallowing Microchips is Good for Your Health
Sorry, but I'm with Jimm on this.
Re: When Swallowing Microchips is Good for Your Health
Now that I've finished blushing at seeing Peter highlight my work, I can take a moment to respond substantively.
First off, Proteus's ingestible sensor is extraordinarily tiny, less than one millimeter square, the size of a food particle. The sensor has no battery or antenna, and is composed entirely of essential minerals found in your daily diet. It is extremely safe.
Secondly, Proteus is all about patient empowerment. Today, medications are designed by physicians for physicians. Patients are expected to do as they're told, whether they understand what is going on or not. Meanwhile, physicians write a few indecipherable lines on a white slip of paper, deliver a minute-long lecture using largely incomprehensible vocabulary to an anxious patient, and then are surprised when things don't work out as planned.
And things rarely work out as planned. Over one-half of all drugs prescribed in the United States are taken incorrectly.
(Continued)
Edited on Jan 18 at 9:08pmRe: When Swallowing Microchips is Good for Your Health
Patients don't know what to do, and don't remember precisely what they're doing. Family caregivers lack tools to help their loved ones. Doctors change treatment regimens more or less at random since they don't know how patients are taking their drugs or how they are responding.
In short, modern oral pharmacotherapy has an information problem.
We don't need new therapies so much as we need new treatment systems and business models to realize value from the therapies we already have.
Proteus aims to leverage the ubiquitous mobile telephone to help patients and families manage chronic diseases. We do this by putting patients and families in charge, ahead of doctors and other healthcare professionals, and certainly way ahead of the government.
Our technology represents an enormous step towards greater personal freedom and choice in medical care.
Edited on Jan 18 at 9:12pmJan '11
Re: When Swallowing Microchips is Good for Your Health
George Savage: We do this by putting patients and families in charge, ahead of doctors and other healthcare professionals, and certainly way ahead of the government.
Our technology represents an enormous step towards greater personal freedom and choice in medical care.
Make this man stop talking. Five more minutes of this common sense, and I'll be investing in the company.
Jul '11
Re: When Swallowing Microchips is Good for Your Health
George Savage:
Secondly, Proteus is all about patient empowerment. Today, medications are designed by physicians for physicians.
I have never heard of physicians devising a drug for physicians. More likely drug company scientists designing drugs for profit, just like you are with your chip.
. Patients are expected to do as they're told, whether they understand what is going on or not. Meanwhile, physicians write a few indecipherable lines on a white slip of paper, deliver a minute-long lecture using largely incomprehensible vocabulary to an anxious patient, and then are surprised when things don't work out as planned.
Doctors change treatment regimens more or less at random since they don't know how patients are taking their drugs or how they are responding.
I find this broad brushed and biased. Certainly that describes some interactions that happen, especially in a busy world but NONE that I have ever participated in 20 years of being a physician. It is unethical.
Edited on Jan 19 at 12:06amJul '11
Re: When Swallowing Microchips is Good for Your Health
My compliance rate is 95% because that is what private medicine can do and probably cheaper than your microchip, perhaps an alliance would be better than an adversarial relationship. You may very well be on to something great and game changing but I think physicians would be valuable even in a Star Trek world. A world where Bones McCoy has respect for Scotty and vice versa.
Edited on Jan 19 at 12:08amAug '10
Re: When Swallowing Microchips is Good for Your Health
I have one question: What maniac came up with the term, "health carer"?