A sharp rise in US deaths attributed to medication errors has prompted one medical device firm, Reeves-Sain, to develop a pre-packaged container to ensure that patients do not take the wrong amount of drugs per day. The device is called MediPACK and includes labeling information about the relevant medicines, including prescribing details such as the timing of consumption.
Shane Reeves, one of the firm's co-owners, cited findings from a study of 50 million death certificates, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Medication errors resulting death increased from 1,132 in 1983 to 12,426 in 2004. Even allowing for population growth, the study led by David Philipps of the University of California - San Diego noted this is a more than sevenfold rise in the death toll.
The MediPACK system has previously been operated in nursing homes, however Reeves-Sain stated that these could be extended to general use. The company can arrange delivery to individual patients.
This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.
Login to your accountTry before you buy
7 day trial access
Become a subscriber
Or £77 per month
The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed
Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK
Copyright © The Pharma Letter 2025 | Headless Content Management with Blaze