Lloydspharmacy to offer digital drug-taking pack

Lloyds pharmacy has teamed up with a US digital pharmaceutical company to offer a product aimed at helping patients keep on top of their pill-taking routines.

Proteus Biomedical has teamed with the chain of chemists to launch its first commercial product, Helius. Helius includes a mobile health app, sensor-enabled pills, and a peel-and-stick patch that patients wear on their body.

Lloydspharmacy will offer the Helius system as part of a personalised pack to customers who need help sticking to their drug regimen. The Helius packs will also include blister packs for each drug. For example, if a patient takes three pills a day, one blister pack will include these three pills along with a Helius tablet, which has an embedded sensor to track ingestion.

Helius is based on Proteus’ Raisin system, a similar group of apps and sensor-embedded tablets that is expected to roll out across Europe within the next few months.

Steve Gray, director of Lloydspharmacy Healthcare Services, said: “There is a huge problem with medicines not being taken correctly. Anyone taking several medications knows how easy it can be to lose track of whether or not you’ve taken the correct tablets that day.

“Add to that complex health issues and families caring for loved ones who may not live with them and you can appreciate the benefits of an information service that helps patients get the most from their treatments and for families to help them remain well.”