FDA weighs sensor-enhanced pill
California-based Proteus Digital Health has an FDA-approved sensor system and pharmaceutical giant Otsuka has an FDA-approved drug. Now the companies are asking the federal agency to approve a combination of the two—a pill that contains an ingestible sensor—under a whole new category of “digital medicines.” (Wired)
Tech giants eye healthcare investments
Companies like Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft have dabbled in consumer healthcare apps, wearables and the like, but if tech companies can get past the regulatory hurdles and stakes so high they’re literally life-or-death, there’s money to be made in healthcare. Investors are looking at you, athenahealth. (Axios)
Trinity Health takes a look at Google Glass
Using the internet capabilities of Glass Enterprise Edition and video technology from swyMed, a Trinity health simulation will explore how to boost access to a shrinking pool of primary care physicians and make care more patient-centered. The simulation will bring providers into the home in a real-time interaction with the patient, the in-person caregiver and the virtual medical provider, said Capers Harper, manager of virtual medicine at Loyola University Health System, where the idea will be tested. “Our hope is that this combination approach will significantly benefit our patients." (Trinity Health)
Chat bots battle depression
Since Facebook opened up its Messenger platform in 2016, developers have used it to create more than 100,000 bots, many focused on health and mental well-being. Among them: Woebot, which helps users track their moods and potentially spot and fend off the early stages of depression. Created by Alison Darcy, a clinical psychologist at Stanford University, Woebot employs cognitive behavioral techniques. The chatbot Joy, founded by Danny Freed, presents users with relevant research-backed tips, techniques and exercises. (BBC News)