Emme Is Bringing the Pill Experience Into the 21st Century

As an innovation fellow at Stanford Biodesign in 2016, I was surprised by the lack of innovations for women’s health. Though the tides are turning, this category is historically under-researched and under-funded. I heard from hundreds of women about the stress of taking the pill and observed the dramatic, life-altering consequences of the missed pill problem. In large part, this is because the pill, the most popular contraceptive in the United States, hasn’t seen substantial updates since the 1960s.

Ten million women use the pill in the United States each year. 80% of those women miss at least one pill per month, and our internal research suggests that 42% will take at least one pregnancy test each year. What if we could simply make the pill easier to use? Today, we have access to technology that did not exist even ten years ago. We saw the opportunity to develop a technology solution that helps put women’s health back in women’s hands, and we went for it.

We are pleased to introduce the Emme Smart Case and app — the first integrated system, which removes the burden of remembering to take the pill and provides guidance when back-up contraception is needed. The Emme Smart Case is compatible with more than 100 brands of birth control pills and uses patent-pending, multi-sensor technology to track when pills are taken. The smart case syncs with the app to send persistent customized reminders until the dose is taken and provides relevant health information. The app also supports cycle management with tracking for mood, symptoms, and side effects.

True to our mission, we developed the product in partnership with women nationwide. In beta testing, the Emme Smart Case and app drove an 80% reduction in missed pills, and 85% of women reported improved confidence with our system.

Whether you use the pill as a contraceptive or for one of its many other benefits — as a treatment for acne, depression, or other hormonal symptoms — we hope Emme can help you use the pill the way it is intended.

To learn more and shop the Emme Smart Case, click here.