Sustenance of life has become a dire necessity in this era which has witnessed a myriad of lethal disease and other unpredictable natural instances. These instances have had adverse effects on the average mortality rates of numerous nations. Radical innovations in the field of medicine have aided the global population in defending against such instances. One such innovation which has successfully reformed the methods of tracking patient behavior is the smart pill bottle by AdhereTech.
The New York based healthcare leader delivers highly effective adherence programs to patients, all powered by their smart pill bottles. This pill bottle enables patients to recognize when scheduled doses medications are missed. Its smart bottle technology measures the internal contents of the bottle, wirelessly uploads the data to server, and sends reminders to patients who missed a dose.
Founded in 2011, AdhereTech has customers across five continents, a robust IP portfolio, and is actively used by many of the world’s largest pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies, and healthcare firms.
Innovative Zenith
AdhereTech’s smart pill bottles are designed to improve medication adherence. The product was designed by keeping the target users in mind, as they range in age from adolescents to patients in their 90s. While designing these bottles the product architects emphasized on three guiding design principles
- The company envisioned developing a device that connects and starts working the moment it is received by the patient. Hence, the team used cellular chips in the bottle therefore zero setup is involved and the customer can start using the bottles from day one.
- A team of astute professionals recognized even patients without a technical knowledge must be able to seamlessly utilize this bottle. Thus, it designed a device in the exact same manner as the nonconnected version, which helped its users to operate the device with ease.
- AdhereTech also focused on making a device that lasts for as long as possible without being charged. Whenever it needs to be charged, it should reach out to the patients who are using it. Smart pill bottles have 6+ months of battery life per charge. It is rechargeable, just like smart phones.
In addition to this, the smart pill bottles have the lightest touch intervention. There are sensors in the bottle which provides continuous data to the company, no matter where the smart pill bottle is located. This help’s AdhereTech to know if and when the medicines have been taken by the patients. Consequently its system matches a patient’s prescribed medicines with its actual one. Smart pill bottles are white in color and glows blue even when a single dose is missed. These bottles can also inform patients the volume of medicines or the number of medicines left in the bottle.
A Leader with Vision and Passion
Josh Stein is a visionary CEO and Co-founder of AdhereTech. While studying at Wharton, Josh founded AdhereTech in 2011 along with a group of passionate healthcare and technology professionals.
Josh considers himself as a design-obsessed business guy. He is passionate about using simple technology to positively influence patient behavior. At AdhereTech he strives to create a cellular technology to monitor patient adherence in real time and remind patients to take their prescribed dosage via automated phone call or text message. Prior to founding AdhereTech, Josh worked for a number of successful startups in New York City, including and FreshDirect.
He has also appeared on the TEDMED stage in 2013 and 2014 as a featured speaker.
Inspiration and Foresight
According to a report, close to $300 billion loss is incurred in the US because patients do not take their medications on time. Over hundred thousand patients pass away each year because of medical nonadherence. Josh, co-founder and CEO of AdhereTech identified this problem and invented a smart pill bottle focusing on medical adherence.
Josh mentions, “Healthcare is slow to adopt technology which can be a challenge, but it can be overcome if a firm puts an enormous focus on clinical data and regulatory compliance.” Josh believes, in healthcare, the timelines are long: developing the product, going through regulatory approvals, gathering clinical data and expanding with commercial partnerships. It is important to navigate these processes in a detailed, professional, and experienced manner for the sustainable growth.
Accomplishments in the following years
AdhereTech sells its smart pill bottles in five continents, with the majority of customers in the United States. The company produces hardware but considers itself as a data and software company because it believes not all types of nonadherence are the same. It is aiming at increasing its reach to millions of patients around the globe. It has partnered with top pharmaceutical companies to provide these smart pill bottles to patients suffering from cancer, HIV and hepatitis to name a few. AdhereTech’s smart pill bottles have reached thousands of people and has increased medical adherence by over 20 percent.
Source :-The 10 Most Innovative Healthcare Solution Providers 2018
