Rx Outreach
Temperature Tracking for Medications
Timestrip neo is being used to monitor pharmaceutical temperature for home delivery.
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Rx Outreach
The Challenge
Rx Outreach is ‘America’s Nonprofit Pharmacy’
Rx Outreach provides a hugely valuable service by offering affordable medication to all, including those people who could not ordinarily afford their medications due to no, or inadequate, health insurance.
The fully licensed nonprofit mail-order pharmacy offers over 950 prescriptions covering most chronic diseases. Through the support of grants, funders, and program partnerships, patients pay only the published Rx Outreach price with no extra fees or memberships, and medications are shipped directly to the patient’s home.
With a team of licensed pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and patient care advocates, since 2010, the organisation has saved more than 500,000 patients over $1 billion on their prescription medications.
The fully licensed nonprofit mail-order pharmacy offers over 950 prescriptions covering most chronic diseases. Through the support of grants, funders, and program partnerships, patients pay only the published Rx Outreach price with no extra fees or memberships, and medications are shipped directly to the patient’s home.
With a team of licensed pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and patient care advocates, since 2010, the organisation has saved more than 500,000 patients over $1 billion on their prescription medications.
Rx Outreach is ‘America’s Nonprofit Pharmacy’
Since Rx Outreach covers all US states and major territories, there can be an enormous variation in ambient temperatures during transit, and medications may be left in a mailbox or outside a patient’s home before being collected.
Recently, medications have started to be shipped that are more sensitive to storage conditions. Examples would be the compounded versions of the diabetes drug Ozempic and its weight loss equivalent Wegovy. In common with many newer drug therapies, these are sensitive to temperature variations and require strict cold chain management to remain effective, with recommended storage conditions typically ranging between 2°C to 8°C (36°F to 46°F).
Exposure to temperatures outside this range, even for short periods, can degrade the medication, rendering it less effective or even unsafe for use.
Recently, medications have started to be shipped that are more sensitive to storage conditions. Examples would be the compounded versions of the diabetes drug Ozempic and its weight loss equivalent Wegovy. In common with many newer drug therapies, these are sensitive to temperature variations and require strict cold chain management to remain effective, with recommended storage conditions typically ranging between 2°C to 8°C (36°F to 46°F).
Exposure to temperatures outside this range, even for short periods, can degrade the medication, rendering it less effective or even unsafe for use.
"Since we started shipping more temperature sensitive drugs, we needed a reliable method of detecting exposure breaches, one that was clear and irreversible. Both our pharmacists and patients needed a simple way of knowing if and when possibly adverse conditions had been experienced. We also needed both high and low temperature alerts."
Timestrip temperature monitoring indicators
Rx Outreach surveyed the market for a suitable type of temperature and time indicator and identified Time neo as the best solution. After a short trial lasting a few weeks, Rx Outreach adopted the product for all of its refrigeration-required shipments.
The Timestrip neo TT525-AB (‘Fridge’) shows cumulative temperature breaches of over 8°C for 8 hours, and also shows a low temperature alert at -0.5°C, alerting healthcare professionals and patients to the danger of freezing.
The Timestrip neo TT525-AB (‘Fridge’) shows cumulative temperature breaches of over 8°C for 8 hours, and also shows a low temperature alert at -0.5°C, alerting healthcare professionals and patients to the danger of freezing.
“Ease of reading the indicators was key. The LED lamps on Timestrip neo are easily visible and easy to interpret with minimal training being required.”
Benefits of Timestrip neo for pharmaceutical shipments
Benefits to patients include reassurance that their medicines have been tracked and are safe to use, irrespective of ambient conditions. Pharmacists have a practical and efficient method of ensuring quality procedures are followed and a system for dealing with variances.
“An additional feature we liked with Timestrip neo is that monitoring starts only when the device is activated. So managing our stock is much easier, and we have time to apply the smart neo labels before tracking begins.”
“An additional feature we liked with Timestrip neo is that monitoring starts only when the device is activated. So managing our stock is much easier, and we have time to apply the smart neo labels before tracking begins.”
Shipments of temperature-sensitive therapeutics are likely to continue to increase, so Rx Outreach has made an important step with the safeguard provided by Timestrip neo.
The Timestrip neo Fridge indicator is a standard Timestrip product, and other specifications are available, as well as custom solutions for different applications.
Read more about Rx Outreach on their site
The Timestrip neo Fridge indicator is a standard Timestrip product, and other specifications are available, as well as custom solutions for different applications.
Read more about Rx Outreach on their site
