W. Frank Dell II, CMC

Mechanized Medication

August 20, 2010

FROM RETAILWIRE:
Convenience is one of the keynotes of vending machines. Now, one branch of Sainsbury's in England has a new prescription vending machine on trial. Do vending machines for prescription drugs make sense for retail pharmacy?      [more...]

This is an interesting approach to a repetitive transaction. This works well for maintenance Rx, but only in a limited degree for acute Rx.

There is a limit as to the number of drugs that can be loaded into a machine. The mail processing houses are using automation to fill prescriptions. Dosage and count is reasonable standard. The processing house can pre-fill for the vending machine. Even some acute Rx prescriptions are fairly standard.

The concept has potential to fill prescriptions 24/7 without labor cost. The conclusion--for a large number of repeat prescriptions, there is improved customer service, albeit impersonal service.