The SmartPill, a wireless ingestible capsule containing sensors that monitor pressure, pH, transit time and temperature as it passes through the gastrointestinal tract, is being discontinued, a spokesperson for its manufacturer, Medtronic, confirmed on June 21.
The company did not say when or why the product was being discontinued, but experts said it was almost certainly related to a business decision, not a safety issue.
Braden Kuo, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, a motility specialist who took part in the SmartPill’s development and testing at various stages, said that Medtronic’s decision to discontinue the device was already known among his GI colleagues, and was the subject of concern as there is no analogous Food and Drug Administration–approved device on the market.