Allergies. Flu. Injuries. Medical conditions. Many of these result in trips to the pharmacy where patients today may find plastic medicine bottles and other innovative new medication packaging that helps ensure accurate dosage, prevent tampering and make med management easier.
Dosing in the Digital Age: Plastic Medicine Bottles that “Ring”
Internet-linked GlowCaps™ fit onto popular prescription bottles — the plastic cap is fitted with a wireless chip and flashes and plays a ring tone when it’s medication time. If the plastic medicine bottle is not opened, the user receives a phone call reminder. Or a family member receives a text. The GlowCap user and one family member also receive a weekly email report. And the high-tech cap coordinates refills with the pharmacy and delivers a monthly report to the patient and prescribing physician.
Timing is Everything: The Plastic Medicine Bottle with an Innovative Timer
Another innovative design called The Rx Timer Cap replaces the existing pill bottle cap with a plastic LCD “timer cap” that counts the hours and minutes since the bottle was last opened, making it easier to adhere to dosage schedules. It’s about time…
A Tough Pill to Swallow: Plastic Pill-Taking Aids
An estimated 40 percent of all Americans have trouble swallowing pills*, which can make taking medications difficult, particularly for children and the elderly. Patients often resort to crushing and cutting pills, which doctors advise against. A new pill delivery system called the Oralflo Pill Swallowing Cup helps make taking pills a bit easier. Patients simply fill the plastic base cup with water or juice, place the pill in the special tube on the plastic top that snaps onto the cup—and then they drink. The innovative design simulates the natural swallowing reflex to help the pill slide down the throat more easily.
Reading the Fine Print: Plastic Clip-On Magnifiers
Small print on many prescription and over-the-counter medication bottles can make it difficult to read dosage instructions, especially for seniors. An innovative plastic clip on magnifier is designed to fit most standard plastic prescription bottles — it magnifies the text up to three times, helping reduce the risk of potentially dangerous errors such as taking the wrong medication or dosage.
Tamperproof Plastic Vials: More Accurate Doses, Less Waste
Counterfeiting pharmaceuticals is a global problem. An innovative, tamper-evident, two-in-one plastic vial called EZ Fusion™ allows consumers to readily determine the authenticity of certain medications before mixing them for injection. The plastic vials protect the medications from contamination, and a simple twist mixes the pre-measured ingredients, which results in more accurate dosing and less waste. EZ Fusion was a Gold winner at the 22nd DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation in 2010.
All of these plastic medicine bottle innovations help make taking medication a bit easier. With these and other ongoing advances, who knows what future medical plastic packaging will look like?
*According to OralFlo website
