MASON CITY, Iowa - A digital pill has been approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration.
It's a pill that contains a sensor in it in order so doctors can know if you took it. It was created back in 2012 and is just now being approved. The medication inside the pill is only used to treat psychological disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
The whole goal is to prevent dangerous situations involving those who skip taking their medication. Experts say there's a tiny chip in the pill, about the size of a grain of sand, which you swallow.
Once it hits your stomach, the signal is sent to a patch you wear on your skin. Then that signal is sent to your iPhone.
“I probably wouldn't because I don't feel it’s necessary or else I’d want to know more about it,” Josh May said.
What's interesting is that, according to researchers, there is no proof that using the digital pill actually influences a patient to take their medication. Patients must agree to take the pill. If the patient agrees, the information on if they took the pill could be sent to family and friends as well as the patient's doctor.