Maryland doctors soon could be able to monitor patients’ prescription drug intake through a wristwatch.
Rockville pharmaceutical company Sequella Inc has signed an agreement with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County that will speed up the device’s debut on the market.
The wristwatch uses a UV light to detect medications in a patient’s bloodstream that have been coated with a fluorescent chemical. The fluorescent chemical is harmless, according to the device’s inventor, UMBC biochemistry professor Joseph Lakowitz.
Researchers are developing a means for the wristwatch to wirelessly transmit data on whether a patient is taking his or her medication as prescribed.
Patients who don’t comply with their drug regimens costs roughly $290 billion to the U.S. health care system annually, according to Leo Einck, Sequella’s chief scientific officer.
