MEDICATION DOSING MONITOR

• US 20080142472A1
• Filed: 11/16/2007
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aardex Group
• Original Assignee: Aardex Ltd.
• Inventors: Gaillard, Pierre-Alain, Urquhart, John, Vrijens, Bernard, Metry, Jean-Michel
• Granted Patent: US 8,536,987 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 215/228
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2200/30 Compliance analysis for taking medication
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0418 with electronic history memory
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0481 working on a schedule basis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

A patient-portable medication event monitor is disclosed which is capable of detecting the dispensing of doses of a particular medication from the monitor, comparing the dispensing detected with information concerning the desired dosing regimen for the certain medication and displaying graphically to the patient at least one feedback indication of the patient'"'"'s degree of compliance or deviation with the desired regimen.

Claims

1. A patient-portable medication event monitor comprising a container capable of housing a plurality of doses of a certain medication, said container including a detector capable of detecting the dispensing of doses of said medication from the monitor,

a clock for generating a dose-dispensed time signal each time a dose of said medication is dispensed from the monitor,

a time signal memory for storing the dose-dispensed time signals generated by the clock,

a dosing regimen memory for storing pharmacodynamic information concerning the desired dosing regimen for the certain medication,

a comparator for determining at least the time elapsed since the most recently-generated dose-dispensed time signal or the time between the most recently generated dose-dispensed time signal and at least one previous dose-dispensed time signal and comparing such determined times with the pharmacodynamic information concerning the dosing regimen for the certain medication and generating a feedback output indicative of the degree of compliance between the determined times and the pharmacodynamic information concerning the desired dosing regimen for the certain medication, and

a display for displaying to the patient a graphic indication of the feedback output of the degree of compliance.

2. The monitor of claim 1 additionally comprising a clock for generating a daily resettable time period signal to define a current daily time period and a display for displaying to the patient the number of doses of the certain medication dispensed from the container during the then current daily time period.

3. The monitor of claim 1 additionally comprising a display for displaying to the patient the time since the last dispensing of a dose.

4. The monitor of claim 2 additionally comprising a display for displaying to the patient the time since the last dispensing of a dose.

5. The monitor of claim 1 additionally comprising a dispensing data output by which data concerning the patient'"'"'s dosing history with the certain medication can be outputted to a heath care professional or service.

6. The monitor of claim 1 located within a closure which is opened to dispense each dose of the certain medication and wherein the opening of the closure generates a signal which is detected as an indication of the dispensing of the medication.

7. The monitor of claim 1 wherein the closure is a bottle cap and wherein the opening and closing of the bottle cap generates the signal which is detected as an indication of the dispensing of the medication.

8. The monitor of claim 1 wherein the closure is a blister pack and wherein the dispensing of a dosage form out of the blister pack generates the signal which is detected as an indication of the dispensing of the medication.

9. The monitor of claim 5 wherein the data output is a contactless communication connection by which data is transmitted optically.

10. The monitor of claim 5 wherein the data output is a contactless communication connection by which data is transmitted by a capacitance connection.

11. The monitor of claim 5 wherein the data output is a contactless communication connection by which data is transmitted inductively.

12. The monitor of claim 5 wherein the data output is a contactless communication connection by which data is transmitted via radio.

13. The monitor of claim 3 wherein the time since the last dispensing of a dose is a daily resettable time.

14. A patient-portable medication event monitor of claim 1 comprising a container capable of housing a plurality of doses of a certain medication, said container including a detector capable of detecting the dispensing of doses of said medication from the monitor,

a clock for generating a dose-dispensed time signal each time a dose of said medication is dispensed from the monitor,

a time signal memory for storing the dose-dispensed time signals generated by the clock,

a dosing regimen memory for storing pharmacodynamic information concerning the desired dosing regimen for the certain medication,

a comparator for determining at least the time elapsed since the most recently-generated dose-dispensed time signal and comparing such determined time with the pharmacodynamic information concerning the dosing regimen for the certain medication and generating a feedback output indicative of the degree of compliance between the determined times and the pharmacodynamic information concerning the desired dosing regimen for the certain medication, and

a display for displaying to the patient a graphic indication of the feedback output of the degree of compliance.

15. The monitor of claim 14 wherein the at least the time elapsed since the most recently-generated dose-dispensed time signal determined time is the time elapsed since the most recently generated dose-detected time.

16. The monitor of claim 14 wherein the at least the time elapsed since the most recently-generated dose-dispensed time signal determined time is the time elapsed since the most recently generated dose-detected time and at least one additional determined time.

17. A patient-portable medication event monitor of claim 1 comprising a container capable of housing a plurality of doses of a certain medication, said container including a detector capable of detecting the dispensing of doses of said medication from the monitor,

a clock for generating a dose-dispensed time signal each time a dose of said medication is dispensed from the monitor,

a time signal memory for storing the dose-dispensed time signals generated by the clock,

a dosing regimen memory for storing pharmacodynamic information concerning the desired dosing regimen for the certain medication,

a comparator for determining at least the time between the most recently generated dose-dispensed time signal and at least one previous dose-dispensed time signal and comparing such determined times with the pharmacodynamic information concerning the dosing regimen for the certain medication and generating a feedback output indicative of the degree of compliance between the determined times and the pharmacodynamic information concerning the desired dosing regimen for the certain medication, and

a display for displaying to the patient a graphic indication of the feedback output of the degree of compliance.

18. The monitor of claim 17 wherein the at least the time between the most recently-generated dose-dispensed time signal determined time and at least one previous dose-dispensed time signal is the time between the most recently generated dose-detected time and the next most recently generated dose detected time.

19. The monitor of claim 17 wherein the at least the time between the most recently-generated dose-dispensed time signal determined time and at least one previous dose-dispensed time signal is the time between the most recently generated dose-detected time and the next most recently generated dose detected time and the time between at least another pair of dose detected times.