Method and system for dispensing, tracking and managing pharmaceutical trial products
First Claim
1. A method of dispensing, tracking and managing pharmaceutical trial products utilizing prescribers, pharmacies, and a central computing station, comprising the steps of:
- a) forming a series of product trial cards by encoding on respective product trial cards information that identifies a particular pharmaceutical trial product;
b) issuing the product trial cards to participating prescribers;
c) activating the product trial cards after issuance to prescribers by the prescribers communicatively linking the product trial cards to the central computing station and wherein activation is established by the central computing station verifying the authenticity of the product trial cards, recording selected information encoded on the product trial cards in a database associated with the central computing station, and finally approving activation;
d) transferring a respective activated product trial card from a prescriber to a patient;
e) the patient in turn presenting the activated product trial card to a participating pharmacy;
f) validating the activated product trial card at the pharmacy by the pharmacy communicatively linking the presented product trial card with the central computing station and verifying that the presented product trial card has in fact been activated and not previously validated;
g) after validating the presented product trial card, the pharmacy then dispensing the approved pharmaceutical trial product to the patient; and
h) periodically accounting to the participating pharmacies for pharmaceutical trial product dispensed in accordance with the records of the database associated with the central computing system.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A new and improved method of dispensing, tracking and managing pharmaceutical product samples by communicatively linking prescribers and pharmacies to a central computing station. The method entails utilizing product trial media that is exchanged for actual pharmaceutical product. The media is encoded with information that identifies a particular pharmaceutical trial product, such as by magnetic encoding similar to that used with credit cards. The media is distributed to participating medical doctors or prescribers who then activate the media via the central computing station. The prescriber then transfers the activated media to patients who then present the media to participating pharmacies. Before filling the pharmaceutical trial product identified by the media, the pharmacy validates the media via a link with the central computing station. Then, the pharmacy dispenses the prescribed pharmaceutical trial product. The central computing station also includes a database that records data related to the use of the media so that all pharmaceutical trial products can be accounted for.
192 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method of dispensing, tracking and managing pharmaceutical trial products utilizing prescribers, pharmacies, and a central computing station, comprising the steps of:
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a) forming a series of product trial cards by encoding on respective product trial cards information that identifies a particular pharmaceutical trial product; b) issuing the product trial cards to participating prescribers; c) activating the product trial cards after issuance to prescribers by the prescribers communicatively linking the product trial cards to the central computing station and wherein activation is established by the central computing station verifying the authenticity of the product trial cards, recording selected information encoded on the product trial cards in a database associated with the central computing station, and finally approving activation; d) transferring a respective activated product trial card from a prescriber to a patient; e) the patient in turn presenting the activated product trial card to a participating pharmacy; f) validating the activated product trial card at the pharmacy by the pharmacy communicatively linking the presented product trial card with the central computing station and verifying that the presented product trial card has in fact been activated and not previously validated; g) after validating the presented product trial card, the pharmacy then dispensing the approved pharmaceutical trial product to the patient; and h) periodically accounting to the participating pharmacies for pharmaceutical trial product dispensed in accordance with the records of the database associated with the central computing system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of dispensing, tracking and managing pharmaceutical trial products utilizing prescribers, pharmacies, and a system including a central computing station and database, comprising the steps of:
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a) forming a trial product media and encoding that media with information that identifies a particular trial pharmaceutical product; b) issuing the trial product media to one or more prescribers; c) activating the trial product media by a prescriber communicatively linking the trial product media to the central computing station wherein the central computing station records encoded information from the trial product media into a database associated with the central computing station and thereby activates the trial product media; d) the step of activating the product trial media including entering data associated with the product trial media into a terminal and thereafter uploading data associated with the product trial media from the terminal to the central computing station; e) transferring the activated product trial media from a prescriber to a patient; f) the patient then presenting the activated product trial media to a pharmacy; g) validating the product trial media at the pharmacy by communicatively linking the presented product trial media with the central computing station which determines if the presented product trial media has in fact been activated by a prescriber and if activated, the central computing station approves dispensing of the pharmaceutical product identified and authorized by that product trial media; h) the step of validating the product trial media including entering data from the activated product trial media into a terminal and uploading that data from the terminal to the central computing station; i) after validating the presented product trial media, dispensing the approved pharmaceutical trial product to the patient; and j) periodically accounting to the participating pharmacies for pharmaceutical trial product dispensed in accordance with the records of the database associated with the central computing station. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification