Drug delivery management system

Abstract

The present invention relates to assisting patients in the taking of medication, and to assisting third parties in accumulating information regarding patient medication intake. The invention may be embodied a system including a portable medication monitor used in association with an instrumented medication package to provide intake data acquisition and patient support functions. The system may further be connected to a computer or computer network allowing information distribution between the medication monitor and third parties, such as physicians or pharmacists.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A drug management system, comprising;
 a plurality of instrumented medication packages, each having a unique package identifier, each of the instrumented medication packages having a transponder configured to receive a trigger signal and transmit a response signal in response to the trigger signal, the response signal being based at least in part on the unique package identifier; and   a monitor configured to transmit the trigger signal to the plurality of instrumented medication packages and to receive the responses from the plurality of instrumented medical packages,   wherein the monitor is configured to parse the responses received from the plurality of instrumented medical packages to confirm the presence of each instrumented medication package based upon the unique package identifier thereof.   
     
     
         22 . A drug management system as in  claim 21 , further including a plurality of portals at which a monitor is located, wherein the presence of the plurality of instrumented medication packages is determined at each portal. 
     
     
         23 . A drug management system as in  claim 21 , wherein each instrumented medication package contains a sensor to monitor medication contained in each instrumented medication package. 
     
     
         24 . A drug management system as in  claim 21 , wherein, a plurality of medications is present in each instrumented medication package and the sensor can monitor each medication. 
     
     
         25 . A drug management system as in  claim 34 , wherein the sensor monitors, for each medication, a condition of the medication, the condition including one or more of the following factors: presence, integrity, temperature, humidity, and light exposure. 
     
     
         26 . A drug management system as in  claim 25 , wherein the condition of each medication of each instrumented medication package is stored in the instrumented medical packages and transmitted to the monitor upon receipt of the trigger signal. 
     
     
         27 . A drug management system as in  claim 26 , wherein the condition is communicated to one or more stakeholders selected from a group consisting of: pharmacies, doctors, nurses, patients, back office billers, co-packers, drag manufacturers, and insurance companies. 
     
     
         28 . A drug management system as in  claim 21 , wherein said package identifier comprises a package identification code identifying an individual responding package. 
     
     
         29 . A drug management system as in  claim 21 , wherein said package identifier comprises a package identification code identifying production information associated with the medication contained in said instrumented medication package. 
     
     
         30 . A drug management system as in  claim 21 , wherein said package identifier comprises a package identification code identifying an expiration date associated with the medication contained in said instrumented medication package. 
     
     
         31 . A drug management system as in  claim 21 , wherein at least one of the monitor and the plurality of instrumented medication packages comprises active radio frequency identification circuitry and a power supply. 
     
     
         32 . A drug management system as in  claim 31 , wherein each of the plurality of instrumented medication packages bather comprises means for activating said active radio frequency identification circuitry. 
     
     
         33 . A drug management system as in  claim 32 , wherein each of the plurality of instrumented medication packages further comprises means for deactivating said power supply. 
     
     
         34 . A multi-component drug management system comprising:
 a plurality of instrumented medication packages, each instrumented medical package having a unique package identifier and comprising network connection circuitry for communicably connecting said instrumented medical package with one or more components of said drug management system,
 wherein the unique package identifier is communicated to at least one component of said drug management system. 
   
     
     
         35 . A multi-component drug management system as in  claim 34 , further including a computer and software for monitoring each instrumented medical package. 
     
     
         36 . A multi-component drug management system as in  claim 34 , wherein said network connection circuitry is wireless. 
     
     
         37 . A multi-component drug monitoring system as in  claim 36 , wherein the wireless connection device is a PDA. 
     
     
         38 . A multi-component drug monitoring device as in  claim 34 , further including as a component, a PDA, wherein the network connection circuitry enables communication of the instrumented medical package with the PDA. 
     
     
         39 . A multi-component drug management system as in  claim 35 , wherein said software comprises instructions which when executed attempts communication with the computer via said network connection circuitry in accordance with a predetermined schedule, said communication attempts being repeated until said communication is successful. 
     
     
         40 . A multi-component drug management system as in  claim 34 , wherein communication comprises information associated with the accessing of medication contained in the instrumented medication package. 
     
     
         41 . A multi-component drug management system as in  claim 34 , wherein the communication comprises time information associated with the accessing of medication contained in the instrumented medication package. 
     
     
         42 . A multi-component drug management system as in  claim 34 , wherein, the communication comprises dosage information associated with the accessing of medication contained in the instrumented medication package. 
     
     
         43 . A multi-component drug management system as in  claim 34 , wherein the communication comprises patient information associated with the accessing of medication contained in the instrumented medication package. 
     
     
         44 . A multi-component drug management system as in  claim 34 , wherein the communication comprises medication information associated with the accessing of medication contained in the instrumented medication package. 
     
     
         45 . A multi-component drug management system as in  claim 35 , wherein the at least one computer verifies the time, the dosage, the patient and the medication information and transmits said information to at least one other component of the drug management system. 
     
     
         46 . A multi-component drag management system as in  claim 45 , wherein a stakeholder may access the time, dosage, patient and medication information. 
     
     
         47 . A multi-component drug management system as in  claim 35 , wherein the computer periodically monitors the instrumented medical packages to determine the conditions of each instrumented medical package. 
     
     
         48 . A multi-component drag management system as in  claim 34 , wherein the instrumented medical packages are transported throughout at least a portion of the distribution chain of a drug management system and the condition of instrumented medical packages are monitored throughout said transportation. 
     
     
         49 . A multi-component inventory management system comprising:
 a plurality of instrumented packages, each instrumented package containing product and each having a unique product identifier,   network connection, circuitry configured to connect said instrumented package with a component of the inventory management system and to receive a location-based signal,   wherein the unique product identifier is communicated to the at least one component of the inventory management system when the location-based signal is no longer received.