Information Mediary, Keystone introduce electronic compliance-monitoring blister pack

Information Mediary Corp. (IMC), an Ottawa, Ontario, Canada company that conducts research and development in the areas of pharmaceutical, logistics, and supply chain compliance technologies, has collaborated with Keystone Folding Box Company, a manufacturer of paperboard packaging solutions, to develop a “smart” blister package with many of the sustainability benefits of Ecoslide-RX®. 

The new Ecoslide-RX with integrated Med-ic® technology made its debut in April at the 2013 Global Clinical Supplies Conference in New Mexico.

The senior-friendly, child-resistant (F=1) package is suitable for clinical trials where dosing data should be precisely recorded. Ecoslide-RX with Med-ic incorporates an electronic module and printed sensor grid inside the package, both of which are invisible to the patient. The hidden technology records the time, date, and location when a dose is removed from the blister package. 

Upon completion of use the data can be retrieved from the pack wirelessly; the data can also be read remotely using a smartphone enabled with near field communication technology. 

“While Med-ic smart blisters can be found in a range of pharmaceutical blister cards, the combination of Med-ic smart blister technology and the industry’s leading compliance packaging format allows pharmacy chains, brand managers, and clinical trial groups easy access to the best of both worlds in one smart, eco-friendly design,” says Michael Petersen, Chief Operating Officer of Information Mediary Corporation.

Med-ic has won two Healthcare Compliance Packaging Council Compliance Packaging Awards including one branded pharmaceutical. The pack earned recognition at HCPC’s 2012 Compliance Packages of the Year competition.

Ecoslide-RX is made from 100% recyclable material and contains no plastic in its secondary packaging. It requires minimal film and foil. Recently, Ecoslide-RX was adopted by Walmart as a compliance package for use in the retailer’s $4 prescription drug program.