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What is a smart pill bottle?

Founded by Wharton MBA Josh Stein, AdhereTech uses digital technology to monitor patient adherence in real time and remind patients to take their prescribed medications[6]. The company's patented smart pill bottle incorporates sensors and cellular technology into the plastic walls of a bottle.

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Patients aren’t taking their medicine. According to the CDC, nonadherence (or the failure of patients to properly take prescribed medications) causes 30 to 50 percent of chronic disease treatment failures, and results in 125,000 deaths per year in the U.S. alone[1]. Nonadherence is also a major source of waste, costing the U.S. health care system between $100 billion and $300 billion annually[2]. These costs are only going to increase. As the U.S. population continues to age, the World Health Organization estimates that by 2020 about 157 million Americans will have at least one chronic condition requiring medication therapy[3]. The American College of Preventive Medicine has written that “Nonadherence leads to worse medical treatment outcomes; higher, avoidable hospitalization rates; institutionalization for the frail elderly; and increased healthcare costs.”[4] Even with all of these terrible outcomes, adherence rates for some medications are as low as 40 percent[5]. Founded by Wharton MBA Josh Stein, AdhereTech uses digital technology to monitor patient adherence in real time and remind patients to take their prescribed medications[6]. The company’s patented smart pill bottle incorporates sensors and cellular technology into the plastic walls of a bottle. The sensors can accurately measure a single pill of solid medication and down to one milliliter of liquid medication[7]. If a patient misses a dose, the bottle reminds them with an on-bottle light, then a chime, and finally an automated text message or phone call, which can also be sent to the patient’s caregiver or family members[8]. This can make a huge difference, particularly for patients with life-threatening diseases, and for those taking expensive medications.

http://abc7ny.com/technology/new-smart-pill-bottle-knows-when-youve-taken-your-medication/1188691/

In addition to reminding patients to take their medication, AdhereTech also collects data on nonadherence. The company can tell if patients take their medication, if they take the correct dosage, what time of day they take it, and for how long they stay on it[11]. AdhereTech’s system can detect certain patterns of nonadherence and can solicit feedback from patients via text or phone call to ask why a dose was missed[12]. Common reasons for nonadherence, such as forgetfulness, monetary issues, or dosing confusion[13], can all be recorded and tracked. The company can then, in real-time, send alerts to the patient’s caregiver. Furthermore, AdhereTech can use this data to understand the drivers of nonadherence and the solutions that work for different types of patients[14]. Digital technology is core to how AdhereTech delivers on its customer promise. The company’s innovative business model has been enabled by the relatively low cost of sensors and cellular components. AdhereTech’s key critical differentiator is its ability to design products with the end user in mind, which in turn is enabled by technology.

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http://www.tedmed.com/talks/show?id=299427

When patients opt into receiving the smart pill bottle, their specialty pharmacy knows the correct dosage time, who to send reminders to, and whether to send a text or an automated phone call. AdhereTech’s pill bottle requires zero setup and the battery lasts for over 200 days on a single charge[17]. When the battery needs to be recharged it sends an automated message to the patient, who can charge it using a standard micro-USB cord. The cellular technology in the bottle allows it to connect from anywhere in the world without having to sync to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth[18]. The bottle works exactly the same as a normal pill bottle, so it requires no learning by the patient. It’s also provided to patients for free[19], with pharma companies paying AdhereTech directly. Going forward, AdhereTech should continue to expand its software capabilities. As the company gains scale, and as input costs for sensors and cellular components continue to decline, AdhereTech should be able to move into providing smart pill bottles for lower priced and more mass-market drugs. Ultimately, the company’s competitive advantage may rest in its proprietary database and the ability to analyze its drove of patient adherence data.

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[1] “Why You Need to Take Your Medications as Prescribed or Instructed.” U.S. Food & Drug Administration, 16 Feb. 2016. . [2] Viswanathan, Meera. “Interventions to Improve Adherence to Self-administered Medications for Chronic Diseases in the United States: A Systematic Review.” Annals of Internal Medicine, 04 Dec. 2012. . [3] Small, Takara. “Meet the Companies Disrupting Your Prescriptions.” Free Enterprise. U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 28 Jan. 2016. .

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[4] “Medication Adherence Clinical Reference.” American College of Preventive Medicine, 2011. .

[5] Jeffries, Adrianne. “Smart Pill Bottle Measures Meds Using Touchscreen Technology.” The Verge. 08 Oct. 2012. .

[6] “It’s Smart to Design Simple.” TEDMED. .

[7] Jeffries, Adrianne. “Smart Pill Bottle Measures Meds Using Touchscreen Technology.” The Verge. 08 Oct. 2012. . [8] Stein, Josh. “AdhereTech Smart Wireless Pill Bottles.” Super-Utilizer Health Innovation Challenge. Devpost, 15 July 2015. Web. .

[9] Stein, Josh. “Pharmaceuticals Move into Internet of Medical Things.” CIOReview. .

[10] Fleischer, Tim. “New ‘smart Pill Bottle’ Knows When You’ve Taken Your Medication.” ABC7 New York. 12 Feb. 2016. . [11] Stein, Josh. “AdhereTech Smart Wireless Pill Bottles.” Super-Utilizer Health Innovation Challenge. Devpost, 15 July 2015. Web. .

[12] Ibid.

[13] Ibid.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Ibid.

[16] “It’s Smart to Design Simple.” TEDMED. .

[17] Stein, Josh. “AdhereTech Smart Wireless Pill Bottles.” Super-Utilizer Health Innovation Challenge. Devpost, 15 July 2015. Web. .

[18] Ibid.

[19] Fleischer, Tim. “New ‘smart Pill Bottle’ Knows When You’ve Taken Your Medication.” ABC7 New York. 12 Feb. 2016. .

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