Schreiner MediPharm, a Germany-based global provider of innovative functional label solutions for the healthcare industry, won a prestigious award for its Smart Blister Card from the European Association of the Self-Adhesive Label Industry (FINAT), which recognizes the industry’s best products. The Smart Blister Card, which extends standard multi-dose blister packs by a digital adherence monitoring tool enabling tracking of medication intake in real time, received the top honor in the “Innovation & Electronic Printing – Electronic Devices” category.
In the case of polypharmaceutical applications (permanent therapies involving the simultaneous prescription of several medications), pills are frequently filled into standard blister packs by hospital and large pharmacies so that patients can take them according to their medication plans. However, physicians and pharmacies typically have no way of tracking whether and when patients have taken their medicines. Schreiner MediPharm’s Smart Blister Card tackles this challenge by enabling digital medication adherence monitoring.
Integrated into the Smart Blister Card are conductive lines combined with an electronic unit. Once the patient pushes a tablet out of a cavity, data is generated in real time and includes information such as the exact time of pill removal, the respective cavity, and the dose it contains. The data is then stored in the Smart Blister Card and transmitted to a database via a smartphone app or a reader using NFC or Bluetooth technology.
For physicians and pharmacists, the handling of the Smart Blister Card is both convenient and flexible. After filling and sealing the blister pack, the Smart Blister Card is simply attached to the back of the pack without impairing the filling process. The technology can be inconspicuously integrated into the packaging design, and the marking of each cavity remains clearly visible. In addition, a temperature monitoring feature for sensitive ingredients is an available option.
The Smart Blister Card is suitable for nearly all existing multi-dose and single-dose blister packs. Patients can take their pills as usual because the cavities can be pushed through as easily as before. Additionally, smartphone apps can provide patients with digital self-monitoring support and even enable a reminder function to comply with their medication plan. Thus, Schreiner MediPharm’s Smart Blister Card helps enhance therapeutic success in polypharmaceutical applications.
