As the pharmaceutical world evolves, we seem to be popping more pills every day.

The birth control pill, a multi vitamin pill, a pain killing pill, cold pills, Echinacea pills… the list is endless.  But maybe those pills can do something else for us while they’re rummaging around our bodies and floating through our systems?

Seems technology is going in that direction, with the development of the iPill (no, Apple is not behind this device – it stands for Intelligent Pill).  Philips Research in the Netherlands are developing a prototype for a pill that can be programmed to go directly to a specific area of the body, drop off the medicine there, and send information to the doctor via radio signals while it’s doing it.

It’s a plastic capsule that you take with food or water, just like any other pill.  But this one goes through your digestive system directly to the targeted area to deposit the medicine.  The idea is to localize the drug delivery, and the advantages are said to include needing smaller doses of the drug, as well as possibly reducing side effects as the drug goes through your blood stream.

The technology hasn’t been tested with humans yet, although trials seem to have already taken place with animals, and the developers say it could someday be used to treat a number of digestive tract disorders.

The iPill prototype is said to be one-third medicine, two-thirds microprocessor, battery, attena, and other equipment.  The device would be programmed according to factors like acidity and temperature, which both vary according to what stage it’s at in the digestive system.  And that’s how the iPill supposedly “navigates” your gut.

In return, the iPill would so be able to send radio signals to tell doctors what temperature it’s currently measuring so they can see how long it’s taking to digest, and it could also help medical staff detect an adverse reaction to the drug.  A surge or drop in temperature or change in acidity might point something out to the doctors, and they would be able to override the programming in the iPill and stop it from releasing any more of the drug.

As mentioned before, the pills aren’t on the market, and it’s hard to say when – or if – they will.  But there’s just one thing I’m worried about…when that pill exits the body, that just can’t be a pleasant experience.