Information
Organization's Own Description:
In 2003, Drs. Anthony McEldowney and Robert Muncy were discussing the widespread abuse of controlled prescription medications in areas of Kentucky. As doctors, they were concerned that legitimately prescribed medications were being diverted and abused in many ways. Hoping to help alleviate the complex problems and the human tragedy associated with the widespread and growing abuse of dangerous prescription drugs, they wanted to create a device that would both reduce current levels of prescription drug abuse, and help prevent future abuse of prescription medications. Moreover, they wanted to increase public health and safety in our communities. They further realized that both our state and federal governments could benefit from a reduction in the skyrocketing costs for law enforcement, criminal justice, health care, and social services associated with prescription drug abuse. They saw a need for a better-protected pill bottle designed to prevent diversion of dangerous medications. They took their idea to the University of Kentucky Center for Manufacturing.
Powerful prescription medications can be life saving when taken under the supervision of a physician, but when abused, they can be just as life threatening as illicit drugs. The team concluded that the new kind of pill dispenser envisioned by the doctors should be one that: (a) would allow dispensing of a prescribed medication only in the prescribed amount no faster than the prescribed rate; (b) would detect tampering if someone were to try to break open the container or to otherwise forcibly remove the medication early; and (c) upon detection of tampering, pharmacists could be alerted.
The device would be relatively small and inexpensive, allowing it to be widely used for potentially addictive drugs. The team used two grants from the Innovative Group at the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation, and drew upon the expertise of its different members to design and make the PillGuard Device prototype. The current prototype incorporates electronic circuitry to timely release the medication and detect tampering, mechanical design for the outer shell containing the medication, and the internal mechanisms needed to release the medication and prevent tampering.
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