Given Imaging Ltd. has won US approval for an ingestible pill camera that can help doctors screen the large intestine for early signs of colon cancer. The Israeli company’s technology uses a battery-powered camera to take high-speed photos of the intestinal tract over eight hours. The images are transmitted to a recording device on the patient’s waist. Analysts originally expected Given’s approach to compete with traditional colonoscopy procedures. But company studies found that images from the mini-camera are not clear as those from in-office procedures. So the company has pursued a more limited market for its PillCam Colon: patients who have trouble undergoing standard colonoscopies. The Food and Drug Administration approved it for patients who have experienced an incomplete colonoscopy.