NLSD 2017: ​Administering the correct drug every time – New technology enables rapid drug control at point-of-care

DrugLog® is the only device on the market that enables hospital staff to quickly test intravenous drugs at the point-of-care. Developed by Uppsala-based company Pharmacolog, the product has the potential to reduce hospital costs and prevent unnecessary patient suffering by making sure the correct medication is given to the right patient every time.

Pharmacolog is coming to Nordic Life Science Days to establish contact with strategic partners that can help the company integrate its technology within a larger total solution. Company CEO Mats Högberg believes the innovation could help solve a problem that every hospital in the world is struggling with today.

“Several international studies point to the fact that two to three percent of all intravenous medication prepared in hospital pharmacies, and up to ten to fifteen percent of that prepared on the wards, has the wrong concentration or even contains the wrong drug,” he says. “This is a big issue, not least when receiving the wrong dose or medicine could be a matter of life and death, such as when treating cancer patients, infants and young children.”

Identifying the concentration of a drug within seconds

To make matters worse, until recently there has been no simple way to prevent these errors, or for nurses and physicians to make sure they are giving their patients the right concentration of the right drug. With the introduction of DrugLog®, Mats Högberg explains, his company has set out to change that situation.

“DrugLog® is the only existing device that in a simple way, at the point-of-care, will let hospital staff know if the solution they are about to administer is the right one. It is the only product on the market that can identify the concentration of a drug within seconds.”

A tool with enormous potential

Combining a proven and established analysis technique with new software, DrugLog® technology can be used to test any liquid, providing it is clear. Apart from focusing on drugs where incorrect usage can cause serious harm – such as cytostatic drugs, insulin, morphine and certain antibiotics – Pharmacolog is currently involved in a number of collaborations aimed at improving patient safety. The company is working with Uppsala University Hospital to find ways to quickly determine levels of antibiotics in the blood, as well as helping the Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital develop a system that will allow staff to safely prepare and administer medicine to its young patients.

“There are so many areas in which our innovation could be applied,” Mats Högberg says. “The international market for DrugLog®, in terms of preparing and administering cytostatic drugs alone, is estimated at 2.5 billion SEK. Not to mention the benefit the technology could have in those parts of the world where counterfeit medicine is common, as it would spot a fake within seconds.”

Providing the missing link

Having been tested and verified at hospital pharmacies in a number of countries, DrugLog® is currently in use in hospitals in Sweden, France and Switzerland. However, in order to get the most out of the technology, Mats Högberg would like to see it integrated more widely into the healthcare system.

“Systems for preparing and distributing drugs in hospitals already exist but they all lack the one element that we can provide – the possibility to quickly, and at the point-of-care, control and identify the substance being administered. Integrating our technology in such a total solution would be the most efficient way to avoid mistakes and make sure every patient gets the intended medication.”

Learn more about the other companies taking part in Industrial Partnership:

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