History and Evolution of the Smart Pill

The name of smart pill now refers to any pill that can deliver or control its delivery of medicine without the patient having to take action beyond the initial swallow. The phrase smart pill became popular after the computer controlled medical device was patented by Jerome Schentag and David DAndrea, and named one of the top inventions of 1992 by Popular Science magazine. However, now the name has become generic and many companies are using the name smart pill.   History of the Smart Pill Jerome Schentag, professor of pharmaceutic science at the University of Buffalo, invented the computer-controlled smart pill, which can be electronically tracked and instructed to deliver a drug to a predetermined location in the gastrointestinal tract. David DAndrea was the co-inventor. UB reporter Ellen Goldbaum describes the smart pill as a combination of microminiature electronics, mechanical and software engineering, and pharmaceutical sciences. This capsule represents a significant advance in medical technology, said DAndrea to UB reporters, With the Smart Pill, we have been able to miniaturize a complex electronic system and put it into a capsule about one inch long. Youre not just taking a pill, youre swallowing the instrument. David DAndrea is the president and chief executive officer of Gastrotarget, Inc. the manufacturers of the Smart Pill. Jerome Schentag is the companys vice president of research and development. DAndrea is also the director of Millard Fillmore Hospitals Engineering and Devices Laboratory.