Personalized multi-medication packaging with real-time adherence sensing
Official title: Personalized multi-medication packaging with integrated real-time instrumentation to improve adherence
Funded at Insightfil · NIH-11383131 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new, low-cost system uses NFC tags and smart packaging to help people take their medicines correctly at home and in home-based care.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Insightfil NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | August 19, 2019 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $598,106 |
| NIH project number | 5R44TR003071-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11383131 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are patients or caregivers managing multiple medications in home-based or post-acute care settings who struggle with adherence.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with simple, single-medicine regimens or those without access to home-based care technologies may see limited benefit.
What this research studies
This project focuses on preventing medication non-adherence, which causes serious health problems and billions in costs. It aims to deploy a simple, disposable NFC-tagged packaging platform that monitors whether medications are taken as prescribed with minimal effort for patients and caregivers. The approach emphasizes real-time detection of non-adherence at the point of care and seeks to be usable across different diseases and medications. The team plans to test the device-and-app combination in real-world home-based care settings to understand practicality, cost, and adoption. The goal is a scalable solution that reduces adverse events and improves treatment outcomes for patients managing multiple medicines.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could experience fewer adverse events and hospitalizations due to better adherence and clearer communication with caregivers and clinicians.
How similar studies have gone: Past attempts with device- and app-based adherence tools faced challenges in cost and user interaction, but this project aims for a cheaper, easier-to-use solution.
Where this research is happening
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Insightfil
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Acworth, Edward — Insightfil
- Study coordinator: Acworth, Edward
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Personalized pill packaging that tracks medication use in real time
This project uses low-cost NFC tags and an Android app to detect when people take their medicines so it's easier to follow prescriptions.
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Improving medication adherence with personalized packaging and real-time tracking
This study is testing a new, easy-to-use technology that helps people remember to take their medications at home by using special tags that track when they take their pills, making it simpler for everyone involved.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.