Smart Prescription Drug Bottle Polices Painkiller Usage to Curb Abuse

Vignesh Ramachandran2013-04-23 00:49:09 UTC

Sometimes, too much of a substance that's supposed to help can cause serious harm.

Drug overdose death rates in the United States have more than tripled since 1990, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Just in 2008, for example, the CDC says there were 14,800 deaths in the U.S. caused by prescription painkillers.

Considering this problem, a group of Brigham Young University (BYU) students reimagined the prescription drug bottle and have developed a high-tech regulator.

Their invention, called Med Vault, basically lets a pharmacist give instructions to the bottle, which then dispenses painkillers accordingly to the patient. Via a USB connection, a pharmacist can use special software to load the pills and program how many can be dispensed per day.

"They can dispense one pill every four hours or two pills every 24 hours or whatever the doctor prescribes," said BYU senior Madison Clark, the team's electrical engineer.

It's a pretty complex design that the team claims is tamper-resistant and break-resistant. The Med Vault requires users to put in an access code to get a pill, making it harder for the drugs to get into the wrong hands (e.g., a small child).

"The physical requirements of the shell and of the material properties are such that you can't take a hammer to it and break it open," Clark told Mashable.

The project all began as part of BYU's Engineering Capstone program, which allows companies to sponsor student teams to work on a project. In this case, the team's sponsor, Las Vegas paramedic and Blackstone president Chris Blackburn, has already filed a patent and wants to take the prototype into production.

"He [Blackburn] saw so many overdose cases in people that either intentionally or out of ignorance or negligence, they end up taking the wrong combination or the wrong amounts, and they end up in the hospital or in the mortuary," said BYU senior Dallin Swiss, one of the team's mechanical engineers.

One concern that could arise out of this sort of electronic prescription drug bottle is the consequence if it malfunctions in a dire situation (for example, you need a pill in an emergency circumstance or you accidentally drop your pill down the sink). But that's why Clark says the focus for this product is on drugs like painkillers, and not life-critical medication.

"We tried to make it so that the device would always keep the patient updated, and they would never have to be wondering, 'okay, is this thing really working or do I need to go get it fixed?'" Clark said.

Swiss told Mashable they estimate the materials for one device to cost under $20, not including labor. While that cost might appear steep, looking at the bigger picture, Swiss said that a device like this could help reduce insurance industry costs of overdose claims, as well as save lives.

Thumbnail and images courtesy of Brigham Young University

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