Smart blister pack sensor launched in Europe

The Med-ic ECM (Electronic Compliance Monitoring) packaging is a disposable, low-cost intelligent pharmaceutical packaging (IPP) monitor for blister packaged medication. First launched in 2003, it uses a sensor grid technology and a proprietary process of printed conductive inks to record each time a pill or capsule is expelled from the package.

At the end of the clinical trial, the blister pack is scanned using radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology and the dosing information can be downloaded to a database.

The primary purpose of Med-ic is to ensure that patients in clinical trials are taking their medication at the time and frequency recommended, to avoid non-compliance issues that could skew the results. IMC maintains that tight control over compliance can actually reduce the number of patients that need to be enrolled into a study, saving trial running costs.

Eric Leutenegger, medical director of ABR Pharma, said the CRO can now offer its clients insight into patient adherence, both during drug development in clinical trials and in real life therapy.

Under the terms of the agreement, ABR Pharma has exclusive rights to market and integrate Med-ic for use in pharmaco- epidemiological and clinical research studies in France. It will also make available the technology for use in other European countries.

Med-ic can also be modified carry out other monitoring functions, such as recording temperature, vibration, humidity, radiation, and light to which the package might be exposed. The device adapts to any existing blister package configuration, and it does not add any bulk to the package.

IMC recently extended the technology to include a new version that is compatible with medicine in bottles, known as the eCap, and offer an enviornmental sensing variation called Log-ic for temperature-sensitive goods.