FDA set to approve ‘smart pill’ that will track your every move

Big Pharma is following you into the bathroom!

The next time you open your medicine cabinet to take a pill, some of the largest drug companies in the world may be spying on you.

They’re planning to insert secret computer technology into our meds — starting with a blockbuster drug you may be taking right now — to make sure we’re taking every single dose exactly when we should.

It’s a shocking invasion of privacy that’s designed to make the drug companies billions. But you could be just one hack away from having your most personal medical information shared all over the world.

A tough pill to swallow“There’s something very troubling about a chip being placed inside someone they can’t remove,” said Marc Rotenberg from the Electronic Privacy Information Center.

Yeah, I’ll say. And it doesn’t matter if that chip is in you forever, a few months, or even a day.

It was three years ago that the FDA first approved digital monitoring devices that could be placed inside our pills and follow our every move.

At the time, people still assumed the technology was pretty far from being usable — but it’s here now, and it’s terrifying.

A company called Proteus Digital Health has developed a chip that’s about as big as a grain of sand. And when medication containing this chip hits your stomach acid, it will immediately send out a signal that gets relayed to a Bluetooth device — such as a phone or tablet.

Your drug-taking schedule will be transmitted along with other health data to your doctor, family members and just about anyone else.

So how secure is all this information? About as secure as an unlocked car with the windows rolled down and the keys in the ignition.

You see, because of the way Bluetooth works, when the Proteus chip transmits your health information, it sends a signal to every Bluetooth-enabled device within range.

That could be everything from your grandkid’s iPad to your nosy neighbor’s cell phone.

It’s easy as pie for hackers to steal information sent over Bluetooth — and you’d better believe your private health information is a juicy target.

And even if your health data doesn’t get stolen, you can bet it’s a matter of time before it’s passed along — or even sold — to the drug companies, health insurers, or anyone else who wants it.

Proteus has announced plans to insert its device in Abilify — one of the top-selling drugs in the world — and there’s an application pending before the FDA right now. And once that’s approved, the floodgates will be open for hundreds of other meds.

Of course, Abilify is prescribed for depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and autism. And you can only imagine the potential stigma attached if people taking this drug now have that information broadcast to the world.

The worst part about this whole scheme is that it doesn’t have squat to do with improving your health. It’s meant to make drug companies a fortune while bullying you into taking your meds.
You see, a study published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings four years ago found that 50 percent of people don’t take their pills as prescribed — and that costs Big Pharma billions. So they want you to know they’re going to snitch on you to your doctor whenever you miss a dose.

If you believe your private health information should be kept… you know, private… there are two things you can do right now.

First, write the FDA and demand that they reject the new Abilify application. Tell them to leave the spy gadgets to the CIA.

Second, make sure you keep reading eAlert every day. Because I’ll be letting you know every single drug that gets this new technology, so you can keep yourself safe from Big Brother and his prying eyes.

Sources:
“‘Digital pill’ will help doctors monitor patients” Sylvia Booth Hubbard, September 11, 2015, NewsMax, newsmax.com

“‘Smart pills’ with chips, cameras and robotic parts raise legal, ethical questions” Ariana Eunjung Cha, The Washington Post, washingtonpost.com