18/08/2010 Part II Dispensing Health-Retail Pharmacies: UK supermarket giant is testing drug-dispensing vending machines support in-store pharmacies, while UK hospitals will be testing interactive, video-pharmacist-driven drug dispensaries this winter.

Part II: Automating the dispensing process of medications & generic meds savings (new study)

"…technology is an enabler, not a replacement for pharmacists," David Miller, chief pharmacist at City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust.

• BUT: Vending machines in U.K. might soon pop out our prescriptions, if Sainsbury’s testing of drug delivery machine is done successfully.

New developments:

• 1. UK: Supermarket giant Sainsbury's (900 stores, No 3 in UK) became the first retailer to trial 'Express Prescription' vending machines at two stores in Sussex. The prescription vending machines (by vendor Asteres Inc.) will be offered as an additional choice alongside Sainsbury's in-store pharmacies (236 in-store pharmacies offering a range of services including MURs, flu vaccination and lifestyle advice).
• How it works: In order to use the device, customers have to use a unique ID or fingerprint, along with a special PIN code to identify themselves. Once they've entered their prescription information into the machine, a real-life pharmacist will scoop it up, fill it out, and put the goods back in the machine for the patient to retrieve-after shopping (Amar Toor, Switched.com). Each Astere-made machine can hold up to 450 packs of medicine with a unique barcode identifier (chemistanddruggist.co.uk).
• 2. UK: Several UK hospitals will be testing more interactive drug dispensary this winter. Patients using this machine will be able to directly engage with a pharmacist via video screen, while the pharmacist can use the device's built-in camera to get a better look at a prescription. Once the professional has reviewed the prescription, conducted a full medical history, and checked for ID, he or she can authorize the machine to deliver medicine on the spot. (chemistanddruggist.co.uk)
• 3. US: Trend 214 reported on Omnicell debuts self-contained mobile medication unit; goal to dramatically reduce medication errors and adverse drug reactions in hospitals:  Since Oct 2009, Jackson Hospital has been one of select U.S. hospitals testing the push-of-a-button the Omnicell Automated Medication System, helping employees stay on track with patient prescriptions.

Opposition: Aside from the $78,390 price tag (Asteres system), several experts are concerned that automated drug dispensaries could sap subjectivity out of an inherently human field. Comments have ranged from “machines compromise patient safety” to “PR exercise” and “customers want speed” to reminders that machines cannot address consumer anxiety over new prescriptions nor can machines safeguard if the one who is in charge of filling the slots makes a mistake. Rebmann Research will check on adoption in a year.

• On a related note: New study by Generic Pharmaceutical Assoc. (gathered by ISM Health) reports that dispensing generic versions of brand name drugs saved U.S. HC system $139.6B in 2009 (Caveat lector: Industry association of generic pharma mfr.).
• In fact, data from CDC show: Each 2% point increase in generic use in Medicaid saves the system an additional $1 billion annually.” Paul Bisaro, Chairman of GPhA. All in all: "$824 B Saved over the Last Decade. "

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