Proteus Digital Health Secures $50 Million in Series H Funding to Advance Digital Pill Platform

Recently, Proteus Digital Health, a digital medicine company headquartered in California, USA, secured $50 million in Series H funding. The investors have not yet been disclosed. Existing investors in the company include Medtronic, Itochu, St. Jude Medical, and Kaiser Permanente Ventures. Following this round of financing, the company’s total funding raised has reached $350 million.



Smart Pills Capable of Monitoring Drug Metabolism in the Human Body Have Received FDA Approval

Proteus Digital Health, founded in 2001, is dedicated to developing digital health products that collect various human metrics—including behavioral, physiological, and therapeutic data such as medication adherence, heart rate, sleep patterns, physical activity, and stress levels—to provide consumers with personalized health management tools. The company’s digital medicine platform, named Proteus Discover, is a medication management system comprising three components:

• Ingestible Smart Chip Pills with Sensors

• Smart Patch

• Mobile App

Smart pills appear no different from ordinary pills on the outside, but they contain a sand-grain-sized sensor inside that can monitor how drugs are metabolized and take effect in the body. After the patient swallows the pill, it reaches the stomach, where electrodes in the sensor draw power from gastric acid and transmit signals outward. When paired with a smart patch adhered to the skin, the sensor can measure various physiological parameters, such as heart rate, respiration, body angle, activity levels, and sleep patterns, which are then transmitted to a linked mobile app. Furthermore, this accompanying smart patch received FDA clearance in 2010, and the smart chip pill obtained FDA approval in July 2012.



Competing products are already being used by populations such as firefighters and athletes; Proteus must reduce its costs.

Of course, Proteus Digital Health is not the only producer of “digital pills”; another company called HQ has a similar product. HQ’s smart pill is primarily used to monitor body temperature and is already being used by firefighters, soccer players, soldiers, and astronauts, with the aim of ensuring they do not suffer from overheating in high-temperature environments. Digital medicine is a completely new concept, but every technology was once new. To promote this technology, Proteus must demonstrate that the device can help patients while reducing costs.

Andrew Thompson, President and CEO of Proteus, stated, “Investors understand that we have a very ambitious vision: we are turning medication intake into a digital event. Wherever you swallow this pill, your body’s response will be recorded and displayed on your mobile phone.”

The project has undergone multiple rounds of financing, and partners are anticipating the therapeutic efficacy of smart pills.

Overview of Proteus Digital Health's Investment History

Andrew stated that the company would use this round of financing to increase the supply of its products to partners within the healthcare system. In January 2016, Proteus announced that its first partner, Barton Health, would deploy its smart chip pill product for a subset of patients—specifically those with uncontrolled and comorbid hypertension. If clinical outcomes prove favorable in this cohort, Barton Health will gradually extend the use of the pill to other patients with chronic conditions. Clint Purvance, CEO of Barton Health, remarked, “This pill is a valuable therapeutic tool for both patients and physicians who have a thorough understanding of their patients’ daily lives. As a physician myself, I have found that smart pills foster a more harmonious doctor-patient relationship, encouraging patients to take greater initiative in improving their health. This approach differs from the prevailing notion conveyed by many other products, which essentially states, ‘We are monitoring your health, so you must comply with our instructions.’ Smart pills empower patients to be more proactive.”

For more information on Proteus Digital Health, please refer to VCBeat’s previous coverage of the company. Access it here:30 Most Notable Healthcare Startups to Watch in 2015: Proteus Digital Health’s Smart Pills for Easy Health Monitoring