Meet the world's first 'digital pill'

Everyday medicine is getting a technical transformation.

The first "digital pill" with an implanted sensor is ready to make its debut, Stat reports. These high-tech capabilities only come in the antipsychotic drug Abilify MyCite right now, but the development could soon provide unprecedented insight into how medicine works.

Abilify MyCite, a treatment for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, was first granted FDA approval last year, per its maker Otsuka. Its tiny internal sensor knows when it touches stomach fluid and sends details to the patient's wearable MyCite patch. Patients can then look at ingestion data on an app and input how they're feeling, and doctors can view the information online.

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The generic of Abilify costs around $700 per month, and MyCite will run about $1,650 for takers without insurance, Stat says, so only a handful of Medicaid users will get to try the high-tech pill for now. Otsuka say it's capitalizing on this small-scale debut to learn from how the doctors and patients use the sensor. Results could inform the development of more precise mental illness medications, the company says, and perhaps transform medication as we know it. Read more at Stat.