That Israeli startup that’s, ah, shaking things up for the chronically constipated is now recruiting for U.S. clinical trials. Vibrant Ltd. has developed a vibrating pill that’s meant to enliven backed-up bowels. Here’s how it works:
- Constipated individual swallows pill.
- The pill, whose vibrations are controlled by the algorithms set by an external device, migrates to the large intestine.
- Natural peristaltic activity is induced, generating a spontaneous bowel movement.
The seven-year-old startup’s owned by a number of private investors, as well as the founders. It says it’s actively looking to partner out, however.
Smart pills are actually attracting some scrutiny for ethical concerns. The Washington Post outlined ’em nicely here:
What kind of warnings should users receive about the risks of implanting chip technology inside a body, for instance? How will patients be assured that the technology won’t be used to compel them to take medications they don’t really want to take? Could law enforcement obtain data that would reveal which individuals abuse drugs or sell them on the black market? Could what started as a voluntary experiment be turned into a compulsory government identification program that could erode civil liberties?
But these issues aren’t what have attracted attention to Vibrant – just the ick factor. Vibrant made a bit of a media splash last year – Stephen Colbert had a fun take on it, actually.
In any case, Vibrant’s constipation trial is screening for patients at a number of U.S. centers, including Temple University, Massachusetts General Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital. It plans to study how these pills work for patients that have fewer than three bowel movements per week, and don’t respond to conventional therapies.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
The mark of a successful trial? One additional spontaneous bowel movement per week, as measured over eight weeks months. Patients must keep diaries to record their BM quantity and quality, as well as note any abdominal pain or straining during the process.
“Chronic constipation is a very common problem in the United States and many people do not get good relief with current treatments available,” Temple University principal investigator Ron Schey said in a statement. “Although their symptoms may be alleviated somewhat with the use of laxatives, they may still feel that they need some more treatment or that they would like to explore other options.”
