Elderly people living alone often forgotten under the circumstances, taking pills, even if these are vital. The pharmaceutical company Novartis has for the first time a blood-pressure lowering tablet with a biodegradable microchip fitted, which will signal whether the pill in time arrives in the stomach.

How does the pill chip?
A microchip is a tiny electronic component, which may express concepts and signals. The pills chip company Novartis produces a specific electrical signal when the tablet, in which it is located is decomposed by stomach acid. This electrical signal is sent to another chip that is mounted in a patch on the shoulder of the patient. So the patch chip information “undergoes swallowed pill.” If the signal fails, the larger chip can on the pavement by radio signal to send a reminder SMS to a mobile phone of the patient or his relatives.

What happens to the chip in the stomach pills?
In addition, the missed medication may also be sent via Internet to the competent doctors. Novartis has tested the microchip pills recently in 20 patients: after only 6 months increased the correct, regular use of the blood pressure-lowering drug from initial 30% to almost 80%. This study can not possibly be considered as a first test run for a drug study for an observation period is from half a year with only 20 participants, very little.

The chip in the pill is only as big as a grain of sand. It contains a tiny battery, which is made from food and is easy to digest, the manufacturing company. If the battery comes into contact with water, it generates an electrical signal that passes through the tissue of the patient. Per Pill that micro-chip costs a few cents. The price of the patch with the radio chip is, however, probably far higher.

The scandals surrounding the loss of highly sensitive data with banks, employment agencies and personnel departments in companies do not stop. SMS can also relatively easy to intercept. Thus it is entirely possible that information on the medication get into the wrong hands. For older people, the radio chip could indeed be a genuine relief to the tablets, but they must be able to use a cell phone. Those who can not, and are regularly reminded of his relatives need such assistance could quickly perceive as annoying spoon-feeding. How useful it is to inform physicians with electronic information on the tablets, is also questionable, because they already have to pay an enormous administrative work.