NFC-Label by Schreiner MediPharm for Ypsomed’s SmartPilot™ Supports Smart Self-Medication

Das NFC-Label von Schreiner MediPharm wird auf den YpsoMate® Autoinjektor appliziert und dient als Kommunikationsschnittstelle zum SmartPilot™. / Schreiner MediPharm's NFC-Label is applied to the YpsoMate® autoinjector and serves as communication interface to the SmartPilot™.

Schreiner MediPharm in cooperation with Swiss-based Ypsomed developed an NFC-Label that is applied to the YpsoMate® autoinjector and transmits stored information about the medication to its electronic add-on – the novel SmartPilot™. Thus, the data recorded about the use of the autoinjector logged by the SmartPilot™ are ideally complemented. The resulting connected device enhances the safety of patients and assists them in the self-administration of medicines in order to better comply with prescribed therapies.

YpsoMate® is an autoinjector for self-medication of a wide range of pharmaceutical substances and in diverse therapeutic areas. To turn this injection platform into a smart device, Ypsomed developed the SmartPilot™ – a reusable add-on with embedded sensor technology that is easy to handle: The autoinjector is pushed into the SmartPilot™ and automatically recognized by means of the NFC-Label applied to the injection aid. The information about the medication stored on the NFC chip is used by the SmartPilot™ and transmitted to a related smartphone app via a Bluetooth connection.

At the heart of the technology behind this connected device is the interlinking of diverse sensors and the label with an integrated NFC chip which Schreiner MediPharm adapted to YpsoMate®. The NFC chip identifies and authenticates the medicine and checks its expiration date. According to the prescribed therapy, the patient can be guided in real time through the injection process by means of the SmartPilot™ sensors or feedback on the correct administration of the medicine can be transmitted. It is also possible to store the entire injection history in detail–from the injection time and its success through to the patient’s well-being—and to share it with other stakeholders. The attending physician, for instance, is then able to use this information to adjust the continuing therapy plan.
“The integration of NFC technology, which has to ensure reliable reading, in a very small space posed the primary challenge in this label development.

Subsequent ease of processing was another specified objective,” explains Arne Rehm, Product Manager RFID/NFC Solutions at Schreiner MediPharm. “The result of the development cooperation between Ypsomed and Schreiner MediPharm is an innovative complete solution for pharmaceutical manufacturers who are now able to provide patients with the SmartPilot™ as a valuable tool supporting them in their self-medication,” adds Andreas Schneider, Innovation & Business Development Manager at Ypsomed.