Smart auto-regulated capsules

[Ignacio182]

Wouldn't it be nice to try this technology with warfarin?

newatlas.com/medical/oral-i...

[MaryF Administrator]

Interesting! Maybe in the future for many medications. MaryF

[Ray46]

I think it will not be possible to control Warfarin / INR like this, very simply:

Insulin half-life in blood: 4-6 mins

Warfarin half-life in blood: 20-60 hours

Insulin also acts immediately and directly whereas Warfarin has a long and complex metabolism process before it eventually reduces vitamin k which then takes further hours/days before it reduces clotting factors.

You dose insulin based on blood-sugar levels _right now_, you have to dose warfarin based on expected / calculated / guessed INR levels in several days' time.

This method might be very good for dosing with heparin though, or some other direct acting anti-coagulant. You dose heparin on blood clotting levels _right now_ and IV it acts immediately (sub cut it's inside half an hour). This is why some of us (not me, I'm lucky in that my INR is relatively stable) have heparin injections to use when INR goes too low.

[Ignacio182 in reply to Ray46]

For Heparin users could be a lifechanger, then