Becton Dickinson (NYSE: BDX) said today that it’s teaming up with Helmer Scientific to launch a medical-grade refrigerated solution that automatically dispenses medications.
Automated medication dispensing has been a norm in the industry for decades, BD noted, but there hasn’t been a solution that securely dispenses refrigerated drugs. The two companies have co-developed a temperature monitoring system that integrates directly with BD’s Pyxis system.
As a result of the exclusive collaboration, the new BD Pyxis ES refrigerator includes locked bins for individual storage of refrigerated drugs. BD’s HealthSight viewer will display notifications sent out from the refrigeration system, according to BD, prioritizing medication management alerts.
BD noted that it will start taking orders for the new BD Pyxis ES refrigerator later this year and will launch the product in early 2019.
“With the expanded ability to securely store some of the most clinically necessary medications, BD can now provide a more comprehensive automated dispensing solution for all medications,” Jason Strohm, worldwide VP & GM of dispensing and preparation technologies at BD, said in prepared remarks. “Through this partnership, we are delivering a solution that will help our customers increase availability of refrigerated medications at the point-of-care with the goal of also helping to reduce waste and mitigate the risk of drug diversion.”
“Helmer Access Technology pairs our expertise in medical-grade refrigeration with our capabilities in software and device integration,” CEO Bruce King added. “We are proud to partner with BD to combine this technology with their leading BD Pyxis dispensing solutions to solve an unmet and important need in health care.”