Dutch-based Philips, a mega manufacturer of hospital equipment, has announced its successful development of a prototype pill that has a microprocessor, wireless radio, battery, pump and drug reservoir. It is intelligent enough to know when to release its medication contents into a specific area inside the human body.

Philips claims that the iPill capsule is capable of measuring acidity within the gut after swallowed and as a result knows when to release the medication as it is needed.

This is a huge breakthrough for patients with digestive tract disorders, as the iPill can better pinpoint the location of the spot to be treated and the amount of the dose needed to be delivered, with fewer side effects. While capsules with miniature cameras are in use as diagnostic tools, these existing capsules don’t have the capability to deliver medication.

Another plus of the intelligent pill is that it is also capable of measuring the local temperature of its internal vicinity and then can report it wirelessly to an external receiver.

Philips indicated that the prototype is suitable for manufacturing and will be presented this month at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists in Atlanta, Georgia.