Innovation
Why a new pill container is designed to talk to your doctor
ReX empowers patients to manage their own treatment
Meet ReX, a drug-dispensing device designed to help patients remember to take their pills. About the size of a coaster, ReX is part of a cloud-based tracking system that delivers real-time data to caregivers.
“We’re here for that niche, high-risk, high-value, dangerous drug—for very specific treatments that are going to have a big impact on the patient,” said Edan Razinovsky, director of business development at Israel-based DosentRx, the company behind ReX. “This device is our solution to patient nonadherence and noncompliance.”
Most people struggle to start and stick to new routines. Between 33 and 69 percent of medication-related hospital admissions are due to poor medication adherence, causing an estimated 125,000 deaths and costing as much as $300 billion each year, according to the National Institutes of Health.
DosentRx aims to decrease waste and noncompliance by tracking medication from the pharmacy and dispensing it directly into a patient’s mouth. “When it’s time to take the med, ReX will start beeping and buzzing,” Razinovsky said. “If you don’t answer, ReX will text your cell phone, email you and your physician and the person at home who’s helping you.”
After ReX’s prompt, the patient presses a button at the top of the device, lifts the bottom of the device to his or her mouth and then ingests the pill. ReX then asks questions customized to the patient’s treatment, like Did you take our pill with food or without food?
A Class I medical device registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, ReX has two parts: a cassette, given to a patient by a hospital or specialty pharmacy after it has been filled with medication; and the device itself, which locks onto the cassette. Once locked, the patient only has access to the prescribed amount of medication at the prescribed time, which is helpful when monitoring the intake of potent drugs, such as opioids and oncolytics—expensive medications that target and kill cancer cells.
DosentRx, which completed the TMC Innovation Institute’s accelerator program,TMCx, has opened its United States headquarters in the Texas Medical Center. The company is launching paid pilot programs and shopping ReX to hospitals and specialty pharmacies.
“ReX empowers patients to manage their own treatment,” Razinovsky said.
Social Posts
Myth: #Pain is just physical.Learn the truth from our @uzo_md and read his advice for getting the right treatment: https://t.co/wIXQFSImcE #endcancer
Tens of thousands of volunteers laid wreaths at VA national cemeteries across the U.S. as part of National Wreaths Across America Day Dec. 14. https://t.co/ENkDR3bqxB
“We need to better understand why #probiotics don’t help and may even be harmful,” says our @carrie_d_mac of the microbiome’s link to the effectiveness of #immunotherapy. #endcancer https://t.co/t6fulbhDcH
Learn how Dr. Zachary Pallister stays fit in this week's Healthy Habits. https://t.co/GLO29z2W2u #healthy #habits
VA mom helping women Veterans… inspired by her Navy daughter https://t.co/immmo4yLt9 via #VAntagePoint
“When I first made eye contact with @MAOnstad, I knew I was where I was supposed to be,” says #uterinecancer survivor Tralisa Woods: https://t.co/iCEfVL0tGj #gyncsm #endcancer
VA’s Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention supports proposed three-digit dialing code for suicide hotline https://t.co/a6hiRA6I7Q via #VAntagePoint
@skologinczak We'd like to hear more about your experience. Please send your contact information and Memorial Hermann location to help@memorialhermann.org so we can look into this.
@skologinczak We'd like to hear more about your experience. Please send your contact information and Memorial Hermann location to help@memorialhermann.org so we can look into this.
Wondering what you should be eat to fuel your workout? Registered dietitian, Roberta Anding, breaks it down. https://t.co/BRhtzvO48R #exercise #workouts
@RobertaS_CIO @InnoMapHou @nataliejharms Appreciate the shout-out.
Dr. Atif Iqbal with @BCM_Surgery discusses the human papillomavirus virus and the rise of anal cancer. https://t.co/GhsLd2flaJ #HPV
RT @UHCougars: .@UHouston students, don't forget to claim your ticket!Don't miss out on a 👔𝘽𝙇𝙐𝙀 𝙎𝙃𝙄𝙍𝙏 𝙍𝙀𝘿 𝙏𝙄𝙀 𝙏-𝙎𝙃𝙄𝙍𝙏!! 🤯🎟️| https://…