Pharmacy Technology

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — A new mobile game app designed by CyberDoctor showed improvements in medication adherence, diet and exercise in diabetes patients, according to a study.

The company said that breakthrough clinical trial results for the game, called PatientPartner," documented for the first time the effectiveness of a story-driven game in changing health behavior and biomarkers. The study was conducted among 100 nonadherence patients at Hershey, Pa.-based Pinnacle Health Systems and presented at the Health2.0 Conference Wednesday in Santa Clara, Calif.

Abraham Lincoln is said to once have quipped: “It's not me who can't keep a secret. It's the people I tell that can't.”

But secret-keeping in business is no joke. According to Symantec, theft and misappropriation of trade secrets, customer lists and other intellectual assets is estimated to cost U.S. businesses $250 billion annually.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Most consumers have "no" or "a little bit" of knowledge about the health insurance marketplaces set to open on Tuesday, according to a new survey.

MISSION, Kan. — ScriptPro's Central Pharmacy Management System Point of Sale can now interface with a real-time system for tracking and controlling OTC products that can be used to manufacture methamphetamine.

ScriptPro said its system now interfaces with the Appriss National Precursor Log Exchange system, currently used by pharmacies and law enforcement agencies in 22 states to track products like pseudoephedrine-based cold and allergy remedies. ScriptPro said the interface eliminates the need to keep a manual log to document sales of the products.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Health kiosk maker PharmaSmart International and a drug chain that operates stores in Minnesota and Iowa have integrated PharmaSmart's technology into the chain's software system.

PharmaSmart and Astrup Drug said Friday that the integration of PharmaSmart's interoperable biometric screening technology with Astrup's Rx30 system allows timely patient interventions, counseling sessions and increases medication therapy management case recruitment for patients with hypertension, ultimately improving outcomes.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — A decision by the Department of Health and Human Services to resolve conflicts that arose when it issued regulations under a law that establishes privacy rules for health information technology has drawn applause from a specialty pharmacy organization.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration will not enforce regulatory requirements for most mobile medical apps because they "post minimal risk to consumers," the agency said Monday.

The FDA announced the issuance of guidance on the apps, saying it would adopt a "tailored policy" toward regulation, focusing its regulatory oversight on those apps that present greater risk if they do not work as intended.