Philips’ iPill Has Every Chance to Overwhelm Apple’s iPhone - A Preview

All you used to know about pills are,

1. it cures your diseases
2. Its bad to taste.

Now here is Philips’ iPill (sounds more like iPhone no? But believe me, its not that touchy and delicate!) that has developed an intelligent pill. It contains a microprocessor, battery, wireless radio, pump and a drug reservoir to release medication in a specific area in the body. Whoof! So much for a tiny pill that I will have to swallow! (WTH!)

Though I have a very little wish to swallow such a well equipped mechanical machinery (however small) that they term as iPill. But it has some genuine advantages as proposed by the makers.

1. Treating digestive tract disorders such as Crohn’s disease directly
2. Measures the local temperature and report it wirelessly to an external receiver.
3. Measures acidity with a sensor to determine its location in the gut
4. It releases drug suitably and efficiently right at the point where it is needed. So the chance of side effects and high doses can be done away with.

You must be now wondering about the iPhone in title. Sure, it isn’t directly competing with iPhone, but don’t you think it is way cooler?

The company plans to present the iPill at the annual meeting of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) in Atlanta this month.