Robustness tests from Elucid’s trial of its smart pill bottle have so far reported 100% reliability.

Pill Connect, was developed to prompt patients to take their medications on time and also to let the doctor to know if the patient has dispensed. The prompt comes from an app on their mobile phone which when acknowledged ejects a pill from the smart bottle.

The system provides a record for the healthcare professional of when and where the patient responded to the prompt on their phone and the successful ejection of the pill or tablet but also allows an immediate intervention.

If a dose is critical it allows the doctor or other healthcare professional to chase up the patient by a call or text to find out if there is a problem or they need further prompting.

Figures from the OECD estimate poor adherence contributes to nearly 200,000 premature deaths in Europe per year, with an estimated cost of $105 billion per year in avoidable hospitalisations, emergency care, and outpatient visits. 

Elucid CEO James Burnstone said: “We have several top tier Pharmas, CROs, CMOs, and the NHS really interested in trialling it on; very high value drugs; those where it is critical for the patient; and in clinical trials where accurate data is essential. What we needed to prove is that the technology is very robust and can stand up to day to day wear and tear. Since September when we made an improvement to the bottle we have had 100% reliability which is very encouraging.”

How the Pill Connect system works

• A patient has an app loaded onto their mobile phone (iPhone or android) which contains the pill regime. Is trained how to use the app within 20 minutes and given a Pill Connect bottle loaded with pills.
• The patient receives a reminder to take a pill via the app at a pre-determined time. The patient responds to the reminder and a pill is dispensed and the data sent to a control centre.
• If the patient is unwell or believes that they are suffering from a side effect to the medication they have the option to not take the pill and tell the investigator why.
• If the patient does not respond or has a reason why they can’t take the medication, a text or call can be made automatically or manually to prompt adherence or find out the reason for refusal.
• The doctor or administrator has data on each patient’s dispensing pattern.
• The bottle is locked outside the prescribed times to prevent double dosing.