After investing $24 million earlier this year to gain access to cutting-edge smart pill technology, Novartis ($NVS) says it is 18 months away from filing for approval of its first chip-in-a-pill offering. The chips broadcast information to a skin patch, which in turn relays the information via smart phone. The first application will center on proper dosing for an approved drug that is used to prevent organ rejection among transplant patients. And because it is an existing drug, Novartis says that it only needs to prove bioequivalency rather than sponsor new clinical trials. Story