This new pill can tell doctors if you swallowed it

A new drug approved by the FDA will allow patients and their caregivers to access whether or not a pill has been ingested.

The drug, Abilify MyCite, has an ingestible sensor embedded in the pill that records if and when the medication was taken, the FDA released on Monday, Nov. 13.

It is the first of its kind to be approved in the U.S., and it is approved for the treatment of schizophrenia, episodes associated with bipolar disorders and as an add-on treatment for adult depression.

The drug will send a message from the pill’s sensor to the patient’s wearable patch, the release states. The patient can then track the ingestion of the pill on his or her smartphone, and they can permit their doctors to access the same information.

“Being able to track ingestion of medications prescribed for mental illness may be useful for some patients,” Mitchell Mathis with the FDA said in a release. “The FDA supports the development and use of new technology in prescription drugs and is committed to working with companies to understand how technology might benefit patients and prescribers.”

Prior to initial use, the FDA said that the patient’s health-care professional should ensure the patient is capable and willing to use the system and facilitate use of the drug, patch and app.

This story was originally published November 14, 2017 at 1:51 PM with the headline "This new pill can tell doctors if you swallowed it."