Printed electronics in medication dispensing & monitoring (Printed Electronics Europe 2005)

 

From time to time we all get sick and must take medicine - oftentimes our physicians will prescribe a 'course' of medication that requires us to take a pill at a specific time for a certain amount of days. Most of us are very diligent in the beginning, but, as we begin to feel better and get back into our daily routine, we forget to keep up with the medication. This issue - of sticking with a prescribed medication program -- is called compliance. Pharmaceutical companies, physicians and health insurance companies all know that poor compliance causes many problems, from recurrent illness and expensive hospitalizations to poor clinical trial data on drug efficacy and 'old,' out-dated medicines in patients' medicine cabinets.

 

MeadWestvaco Healthcare Packaging has been addressing this issue for the past few years through the creation of pharmaceutical packages that are easier to use and encourage the patient to follow a medication regimen . With the introduction of their newest package, Cerepak™, they have taken their commitment to enhanced patient compliance one step further. The first application of Cerepak technology is based on the award-winning Dosepak® package - a molded blister with individual compartments for each pill - but is enhanced with a tiny microprocessor (computer) and printed conductive ink. The purpose of the Cerepak system is three-fold: (1) to record the date, time and pill cavity location (e.g. which pill has been removed from the package) when a patient 'pops' the pill from the package and (2) to record patient side effects (such as the level of pain, indigestion, etc.) through a re-usable questionnaire pad and (3) only if desired, to activate a small audible reminder to encourage patients to take their dose at the correct time or within a designated window of time.

 

Cerepak looks very much like a standard pharmaceutical package, in size, shape and weight. The package is extremely portable and discrete, fitting into a purse or parcel. The data from the package can be easily uploaded to a PC with the use of a small, mouse pad-like "reader." The compliance information can then be charted, analyzed and exported to other software or databases. Healthcare Packaging is establishing a relationship with a leading clinical data analysis company on software and analytical services.

 

Initially, Healthcare Packaging is working with pharmaceutical companies who are using medications in clinical trials - where the capturing of data relating to the patients' compliance with a prescribed regimen is vitally important to understanding the impact of a new drug. The Cerepak package replaces the traditional data collection methods, which rely on patient questionnaires, patient diaries, pill counts taken after the regimen is completed and drawing blood from patients to determine the level of medication in the system. With Cerepak, the patient simply takes their medication and, when the cycle is complete (all pills have been taken), returns the package to their doctor or clinician, who then downloads the information from the package into a computer or directly to a secure server over the Internet.

 

According to Tom Grinnan, product manager for Cerepak, "This product improves everyone's experience - patients can easily take their medications, and physicians and researchers gain a much richer understanding of patient drug regimen compliance and the effects of the drug (or lack thereof). Pharmaceutical companies, on the other hand, obtain the critical, real-world data about a drug actually works when taken as directed."

Thomas Randolph Grinnan is Vice President, Business Development for MeadWestvaco Healthcare Packaging, and has over fourteen years of marketing and strategic planning experience in the healthcare and packaging industries. MeadWestvaco Healthcare Packaging produces pharmaceutical and compliance packages using various substrate materials designed to meet the needs of patients, physicians and pharmaceutical customers. Tom manages all new healthcare product development, licensing and partnership activities, focusing on patient compliance. He has been with MeadWestvaco (and its predecessor, Westvaco Corp.) since 2000, previously serving as Vice President, Customer Partnerships & Healthcare Market Manager. Prior to Westvaco, Tom worked at Mebane Packaging Corp. (1994-2000) and Markowitz & McNaughton, Inc. (1990-1994). He received his M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995 and his B.A. in Biology and French from the University of Virginia in 1990.

MeadWestvaco Healthcare Packaging produces pharmaceutical and compliance packages using various substrate materials designed to meet the needs of patients, physicians and pharmaceutical customers. MeadWestvaco Healthcare Packaging is a part of the Consumer Packaging Group, which is part of MeadWestvaco Corporation, headquartered in Stamford, Conn., a leading global producer of packaging, coated and specialty papers, consumer and office products and specialty chemicals. Among the principal markets it serves are the automotive, beverage, consumer products, healthcare, media and entertainment, and publishing industries. The company operates in 29 countries and serves customers in nearly 100 nations. MeadWestvaco manages strategically located forestlands according to stringent environmental standards and in conformity with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative program.