Pharmacy Technology

HAIFA, Israel — MediSafe Project has launched what it called the first cloud-synced mobile app to help prevent emergencies caused by over- or under-dosing medications.

The app, which is available for Android devices and compatible with iPhones and iPads, is designed to remind users when it's time to take medications and also send alerts to family members, friends and caretakers.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The University of Illinois College of Pharmacy has named Kirby Lester president and CEO Garry Zage its 2012 Alumnus of the Year, the pharmacy automation manufacturer said Tuesday.

Zage, who graduated from the college in 1977, purchased Kirby Lester in 2005. He has worked in pharmacy for more than 35 years and focused on pharmacy automation for more than 15 years, the company said, adding that the award recognizes graduates who are innovators, exhibit leadership and have contributed significantly to the pharmacy profession.

CHICAGO — Electronic health record firm Allscripts may be looking at buyout offers from other companies, Allscripts CEO Glen Tullman said Thursday when the company announced its third-quarter 2012 earnings.

TORONTO — Industry leaders at an annual retail pharmacy conference in Canada got a look at a kiosk that allows patients to order prescription drugs through an Internet connection.

TCE Group announced the introduction of its Pharma Kiosk, or PK+ terminal at the annual meeting of the Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores in Toronto.

Whatever dazzling visions science fiction may offer of the widgets of the future, the long, uphill road of technology inevitably leads to the smaller and the simpler. The horse and carriage gave way to the automobile; vacuum tubes gave way to transistors; and computers that took up entire rooms and required intricate climate-control technologies now fit in one’s pocket. 


Technologies used in health care have undergone a similar transition, and much of that has happened in the last few years thanks to the spread of mobile technology. 


Products often fail before they ever find their way to market. Because our firm reviews more than 2,500 new health, beauty and wellness products, and sees approximately 13,000 packaging changes and line extensions annually, I’ve seen this firsthand.

MOUNT PROSPECT, Ill. — About 97% of online pharmacies are "rogue" operations operating outside U.S. laws and regulations, according to a new report.

LISLE, Ill. — Pharmacy benefit manager Catamaran has won contracts with Indiana's state Medicaid program, the company said.