A new pill bottle is off the drawing board and into reality – startup reality at least.
AdhereTech released photos of the bottle this week and had good news around pilot projects and its patent application as well.
The startup is targeting specialty pharmacies and mail order pharmacies and high-cost branded drugs. The patient would use the bottle for only one prescription, and get a new one with the next refill. The company has a recycling plan in place, however, to get the electronics back.
“Patients will either drop the bottles off at the pharmacy or send them back to us in a pre-addressed envelope that we will mail to patients toward the end of the prescription,” said Josh Stein, the co-founder and CEO. “We will dispose of the plastic casing and reuse the electronic components. This will not only save us enormously on costs (over 85% of the cost of the bottles lies in the electronic components inside of the bottle), but it will be a way to conserve our resources.”
Sensors to track how often and when a patient takes the med are on both sides of the bottle. The medicine is in a long chamber that extends the length of the bottle.
Stein also said that the company is preparing for several pilot projects to test the efficacy of the bottles compared to standard pill bottles. The tests will start in Q2 with The Walter Reed Army Medical Center and The University of Pennsylvania.
“The goal here is to measure the exact amount by which our bottles increase medication adherence,” Stein said. “In some of these studies, we are also working with behavioral economists to determine the right ways/time to remind patients.”
The company has received full freedom-to-operate opinion on its issued patent.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
[Images from AdhereTech]
