Elucid is continuing a series of robustness tests on its smart pill bottle – Pill Connect – which have 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.

What is unique about the Pill connect system is that  it provides not only a complete 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.

Unfortunately 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 commented “ 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.”

As well as receiving robustness information the trials have also highlighted patient acceptability.

How the Pill Connect system works

• Preparation – A patient has an app loaded onto their mobile phone (iPhone or android) which contains the pill regime – eg twice a day. Is trained how to use the app – 20 minutes – and given a Pill Connect bottle loaded with pills.
• Patient use -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.
• Side effects – 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.
• Non – adherence/not wanting to take pill – 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.
• Comprehensive data – The doctor or administrator has comprehensive data on each patients dispensing pattern.
• Safety – The bottle is locked outside the prescribed times to prevent double dosing.

About the Technology

The Pill Connect dispenser mechanism and electronics are designed to fit onto a standard pill bottle which is easily filled or refilled by a pharmacist. The capacity of the pill bottle will depend upon the pill size but will have a minimum of thirty pills. The dispensing mechanism can be adjusted to handle pills or capsules of different sizes.  The app can be loaded onto android or apple phones.