Phase III of macrolide study utilizes Med-ic smart blister packaging

Phase III of macrolide study utilizes Med-ic smart blister packaging

Information Mediary Corporation has begun to supply over 30,000 of its Med-ic RFID smart sensor labels for use in a large multi-year COPD macrolide study. The study, sponsored by NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) will be enrolling over 1100 patients with moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), with emphasis on the prevention and management of exacerbations of the disease.

‘With 17 study sites managed by ten universities throughout the United States, the Med-ic ECM smart pharmaceutical blister technology allows for immediate intervention upon patient visits, while the recorded adherence data will be an invaluable information source during the biostatistical evaluation of the trials outcome involving nearly half a million individual doses of medication,’ stated Prof. Allan Wilson, president of Information Mediary Corp.

The Med-ic ECM (Electronic Compliance Monitor) is an RFID sensor device that provides a disposable and inexpensive method to address the multi-billion dollar health care problem of medication non-compliance. Med-ic’s patent-pending design makes it easy to integrate and supply in large volumes at a reasonable unit cost, according to Information Mediary Corporation.

About Med-ic:

Using intelligent technologies and advanced engineering, the company developed the Med-ic ECM to track medication usage for any standard blister packaging format without active patient input. The Med-ic ECM solution uses patent-pending sensor grid technology and a proprietary process of printed conductive inks from XINK Laboratories Ltd to form a smart paper label inlay.

The Med-ic CertiScan RF Reader and CertiScan Compliance Monitoring Software retrieve and display patient compliance information using the latest in RFID technology.

Study Background:

This Macrolide Azithromycin COPD Phase III study is currently enrolling patients at Denver City-County Health/Hospitals Department; University of Alabama, Birmingham; Harbor-UCLA Research & Education Institute; University of Minnesota Twin Cities; Temple University; University of California at San Francisco; University of Michigan; Minnesota Veterans Research Institute; Brigham and Women's Hospital; University of Maryland; and University of Pittsburgh.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a serious public health problem that is responsible for more than 500,000 hospitalizations, 100,000 deaths, and $15 billion in direct costs of medical care in the U.S. each year. In addition, this disease disables millions of Americans. While stopping smoking can of course help to slow the progressive loss of lung function that is characteristic of COPD, management of established disease is largely limited to supportive measures that do not interfere with the disease process itself. There is particular need for better prevention and management of exacerbations of COPD since these are associated with a substantial portion of the hospitalizations, deaths, and costs of care attributable to the disease. While certain supportive measures (such as long term oxygen therapy) are of established benefit in selected patients, there remains considerable uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of many treatment modalities that are routinely used in COPD, indications for specific therapies, the usefulness of novel therapeutic approaches, and the best means for management of common co-morbid conditions.