WASHINGTON, June 21 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced marketing approval Thursday for a programmable device that stores and dispenses medicines.
INRange Systems of Altoona, Pa., said its Electronic Medication Management Assistant, or EMMA, is designed to reduce drug identification and dosing errors, providing a way for health care professionals to monitor outpatient adherence to medication regimens.
EMMA consists of a medication delivery unit and two-way communication software that allows a health care professional such as a physician or pharmacist to remotely manage prescriptions stored and released by the patient-operated delivery unit, which is about the size of a bread box and plugs into a standard power outlet.
EMMA stores prescription medications, emits an audible alert to the patient when medications are to be taken, and releases them onto a delivery tray when activated by the patient at the appropriate time.
It uses a Web-based application for a health care professional, such as a doctor or pharmacist, to remotely schedule or adjust a patient's prescribed medications, as well as providing a history of each time patients access their medications.
The company said the unit will help resolve the confusion some patients experience when taking medications.
