A Northern California health system will be the first provider to use Proteus' smart-pill technology outside of a clinical trial.
Barton Health, which includes Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., will initially offer the Proteus Discover solution for treatment of high blood pressure.
Proteus Discover is touted as the wold's first smart pill, as it includes an ingestible sensor that's linked to a computerized patch that sends information about when the drug is taken to a bluetooth-enabled device. The product allows patients to monitor their drug adherence and can inform doctors, with the patient's permission.
For now, a health system pays for Proteus Discover on a subscription basis and the patient pays only the amount of their normal treatment, a Proteus spokeswoman said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has so far cleared Proteus' sensor to be co-encapsulated with medicine by a specialty pharmacy. The device can be used in combination with any pill, according to Redwood City, Calif.-based Proteus.
In September, Proteus announced that it had asked the FDA to allow the sensor to be embedded in Abilify, a drug used to treat schizophrenia. Proteus officials said they expect a response from the FDA by late April.
The startup appointed Molly O'Neill as chief commercial officer in November.
