{"id":246353,"date":"2026-01-15T16:17:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T16:17:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/246353\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T16:17:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T16:17:10","slug":"this-pill-is-not-a-medication-it-could-save-thousands-of-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/246353\/","title":{"rendered":"This Pill Is Not a Medication. It Could Save Thousands of Lives."},"content":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s what you\u2019ll learn when you read this story:<\/p>\n

Lapses in adherence to taking medication result in over a hundred thousand preventable deaths every year, but a new device could change that.SAFARI is a biodegradable gelatin or cellulose pill casing with a radiofrequency chip that sends a signal confirming medication has been taken. The device could both change, and even save, the lives of patients who manage diabetes, have had organ transplants, or live with chronic infections such as tuberculosis or HIV.<\/p>\n

With all the apps and gadgets we have to track our medications, which go beyond the plastic pill cases of the past, most of us have still forgotten to take at least one pill some time or another. What might just be a momentary brain glitch for some could be dangerous for those who have received organ transplants<\/a> or are living with certain conditions. Now there is something much more effective than an app for that. <\/p>\n

For anyone who cannot remember if they took medication that could literally mean the difference between a normal day and being rushed to the hospital in critical condition, a team of MIT researchers led by mechanical engineer Giovanni Traverso have come up with an ingenious \u201csmart pill\u201d that does it for them with a radiofrequency signal<\/a>. People being treated for chronic infections such as tuberculosis<\/a> or HIV must take specific medications at certain times throughout the day. Organ transplant patients are put on immunosuppressive drugs so their immune system can accept the new organ, and just one miss could result in the body rejecting it. Survival after that would be unlikely.<\/p>\n

Forgetting medication has proved to be a massive problem in the US, resulting in about 125,000 preventable deaths and $100 billion in additional costs each year. Traverso\u2019s bioresorbable smart pill, known as SAFARI (Smart Adherence via FARaday cage And Resorbable Ingestible) encases medications and is made completely of materials that biodegrade and factor out the need for replacing batteries or having to retrieve the device for repair. English scientist Michael Faraday<\/a> was far ahead of his time when he designed the Faraday cage<\/a> or shield in 1836. Such a device is used to shield objects from electromagnetic fields, and this structure prevents SAFARI from releasing any signals until it is ingested.<\/p>\n

Related Story<\/p>\n

\u201cSAFARI establishes a foundational framework for the development of next-generation, eco-conscious adherence monitoring solutions and associated interventions\u2014ultimately aiming to bolster therapeutic outcomes and reduce healthcare expenditures,\u201d Traverso said in a study recently published in Nature Communications<\/a>.<\/p>\n

SAFARI is a gelatin carrier capsule with a radiofrequency chip and antenna, all of which are covered in an electromagnetic interference shielding coating made of molybdenum<\/a>. The chip is pre-loaded with information on drug dosage and other important information. Even the metal chip is made mostly of ingestible zinc foil. Its radiofrequency antenna sends a signal shortly after medication has been taken. Healthcare professionals can use an external reader to track the dose. After the patient has been alerted, its electronic components safely break down in the gastric fluid of the stomach without causing buildup or blockage, and the tiny radiofrequency chip makes its way through the digestive tract until it leaves the body. Not only can the smart pill be used to encapsulate medications, but its system can be built into existing capsules.<\/p>\n

Related Story<\/p>\n

While SAFARI has not been tested in humans yet, the device was tested in pigs, whose digestive tracts are most similar to ours, with promising results. It was also tested in natural and artificial gastric fluid to make sure that its components would dissolve properly. SAFARI is also relatively easy to manufacture, with some components being printable. The capsule can be printed from gelatin or HPMC (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose). This is not a device that will end up on drugstore shelves, since it is intended for patients whose lives hinge on taking their medication.<\/p>\n

Traverso has ambitious plans for continued development of this technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cOngoing work will expand these findings through chronic exposure modeling and pharmacokinetic analyses to confirm safety for lifelong use,\u201d he said. \u201cFuture work includes development of battery assisted RFID systems to extend the detection range, further improving the application of the electronic medication adherence technology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our Most-Read Stories of the Year\"Chevron\"Chevron\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Rayne is a creature who writes. Her work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Ars Technica, SYFY WIRE, Space.com, Live Science, Den of Geek, Forbidden Futures and Collective Tales. She lurks right outside New York City with her parrot, Lestat. When not writing, she can be found drawing, playing the piano or shapeshifting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s what you\u2019ll learn when you read this story: Lapses in adherence to taking medication result in over…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":246354,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[103,397,396,61,60,43],"class_list":{"0":"post-246353","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-health-care","10":"tag-healthcare","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246353\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/246354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}