PILL USAGE CHRONOLOG AND REMINDER

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Patient compliance and the resulting effectiveness of treatment are major concerns in new drug studies, clinical trials and with problem patients on medication. We will establish the feasibility of an inexpensive pill dispensing, recording and reminding device. This device ultimately will be a miniature recording, reminding module with a display and an alarm and a disposable pill dispenser cartridge with sensing circuitry. The electronic recording device will record the date and time for each dispensed pill to be later recalled by coupling to a microcomputer interpreter. A prescription regimen may be loaded into the device for the reminding of the patient who can recall the last time of use, the next time to be used and which pill to take. The recording device is detachable from the dispenser cartridges for refills. The entire device with small pills will be the size of a credit card calculator. The cartridges will be manufactured similarly to commercially packaged medications plastically encapsulated with foil backing. Circuitry within will sense the destruction of the backing as the pill is pushed through. The market for this device includes drug companies, research institutions, clinics, hospitals and eventually physicians and patients.