Proteus system

California hospital becomes first to prescribe digital pill

pharmafile | January 22, 2016 | News story | Medical Communications california, digital health, digital pill, ingestible pill, proteus 

Proteus Digital Health, the first company to have a ‘digital pill’ approved by the FDA, has signed its first deal – to supply a similar medical technology to a hospital in California.

The deal, with US healthcare provider Barton Health, is the first signed in the US by the California based firm. In September its ingestible digital sensor was approved by the FDA in combination with Otsuka Pharma’s Abilify (aripiprazole), for adults with schizophrenia. 

The digital Abilify tablet contains an ingestible sensor that works with a sensor patch worn by the user. It also comes with a software application that measures adherence, and collects other patient metrics, including rest, body angle and activity patterns.

Hospitals in the Barton Health system will prescribe Proteus Discover to patients. The company says this is the first time its technology has been implemented outside of a clinical trial setting in the US.

Barton Health, a health system in Lake Tahoe, California, will use the medication adherence platform, which includes Proteus’s FDA-cleared ingestible sensor, in populations with uncontrolled and co-morbid hypertension. Implementation for other chronic conditions will follow if the first use case goes well.

Barton’s specialty pharmacies will dispense the sensor with select generic medications for hypertension and comorbidities. The sensor is activated automatically when it is broken down in the stomach and transmits the signal to a receiver on an adhesive patch worn by the patient. The patch then transmits data like heart rate, activity, rest, and the time the pill was taken to an app on the patient’s mobile device. The patient can then share the data with their physician, where it will appear on a dashboard app. The app also provides support and insight to the patient.

“Patients struggle with medication adherence for various reasons. When a non-adherent patient is not seeing results and the physician believes a patient is taking a medication, this may lead to unnecessary changes in treatment which can be costly for the patient and the health system,” Barton Health says in a statement. “This new product offering provides a data-driven communication channel between the medical provider and the patient that empowers the patient to take the appropriate dose of medication and better understand the importance of daily activity levels and other lifestyle changes.”

“Patients are seeking easier ways to engage in their own care; healthcare providers are looking to more effectively manage chronic conditions,” Andrew Thompson, chief executive of Proteus says. “Barton is among a group of pioneering health systems addressing these opportunities head on by adding digital health solutions that extend their physical footprint, laying the groundwork for a durable population health strategy.”

Lilian Anekwe

Related Content

NHS-integrated pharmacy app Charac receives £1.2m funding

Charac, an NHS-integrated pharmacy app, has raised £1.2m in debt and equity financing from the …

NICE recommends nine digital treatment options for depression and anxiety

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended six digitally enabled therapies …

Takeda opens R&D facility in San Diego, California

Japanese-firm Takeda pharmaceuticals has opened a new research facility in San Diego, California. The 165,000ft2 …

Latest content