Medication reminder uses lights, sound

A U.S. chain of pharmacies offers some patients a unique medication reminder that uses sound and light signals to keep pill-taking on schedule, officials say. The Apothecary Shop Wholesale Inc., an affiliate of The Apothecary Shops Specialty Pharmacies, is distributing a novel medication adherence aid called GlowCap. The GlowCap, free to qualifying patients, is an easy-to-use prescription bottle cap with a light that patients plug in and begin to receive reminders the next day to take their medication. Eric Sredzinski, vice president of clinical affairs, said in collaboration with pharmaceutical manufacturer Novartis and GlowCap manufacturer Vitality, Apothecary Shop Wholesale is the nation's only specialty wholesaler in the GlowCap pilot program specifically designed for patients taking Tasigna for chronic myelogenous leukemia or Gleevec for malignant stromal tumors. GlowCap's proprietary technology allows the patient to be automatically alerted at their dosage time via a flashing light in the GlowCap, and should the dosage not be administered within 2 hours, the user's phone will ring with a recorded reminder, Sredzinski said. "If the recorded call is not successful in reminding the patient, a pharmacist will personally intervene with a call to the patient and practitioner," Sredzinski said in a statement.