Elpro offers a unit-dose-level temperature indicator for last-mile tracking

The Libero ITS (Indicator Tab Start) device targets a widespread issue in the distribution of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals: what happens after the product leaves bulk containers or centralized storage, and is delivered to the patient or clinic as a single unit of sale. In many distribution scenarios (such as mail order pharmacy), there is little to no temperature sensing as the shipment is delivered to the patient’s home; patients themselves are prone to tossing the prescription they might have picked up in the morning into the back of a car, to be brought home at the end of the day. Elpro also points to clinical trial situations, where a kit is shipped to the trial participant’s home.

Elpro packs LED indicator lights, temperature sensing (with configurable settings) and software to compute both the remaining stability budget (i.e., time out of refrigeration) of the drug, and a smartphone app for PDF downloading of recorded data, into a 3mm thick, 30mm-square package, which can be attached to the side of a drug carton with adhesive. A battery is said to provide a 3-yr operating life, and the entire device is expected to price at $3 per item when it is available for commercial delivery in early 2018.

“The LIBERO ITS offers end-to-end assurance for increasingly complex global supply chains, with several transit and storage points, and various handlers,” said Cyril Winkler, head of product development at ELPRO, in a statement. “It provides unbroken monitoring from point of manufacture, to time of use. At $3 a device, with 3-year battery, this solution solves many problems being of the most cost-effective, long-term solutions on the market.”