Sometimes, new technology is both creepy and common sense. Take, for example, a system Novartis is testing for reminding patients to take their blood pressure meds. The company is testing inserting tiny microchips into the pills as part of a system that tracks whether patients are taking their meds as prescribed. When patients veer off course, they get a text message reminder. The technology has significantly improved adherence in a very small group of patients taking the company’s blood pressure medicine Diovan, a Novartis exec tells the Financial Times . Getting patients to consistently take drugs for chronic conditions like high blood pressure

can be a problem. The drugs sometimes cause side effects, and failing to take them can raise long-term risks for strokes and heart attacks without causing any immediate symptoms. Novartis is partnering on the project with a small company called Proteus Biomedical , one of several companies mentioned in this August WSJ story that looked at the push to use wireless technology to try and keep people healthier — an effort that has also drawn big players like Qualcomm and Intel, the piece noted.

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Microchip in Blood Pressure Pills Nags Patients Who Skip Meds