Altoona-based INRange Systems, creator of EMMA, the only FDA-approved system for remote electronic medicine management, has been named as one of the 100 most promising private technology ventures in North America by Red Herring Magazine.
Selected for the 2009 award among 1,200 applicants, INRange joins such well-known past winners as Yahoo, Google, Skype, Salesforce.com, and YouTube.
EMMA, a breadbox-sized device that dispenses daily medicines to individuals in the home or outpatient setting with the accuracy of a professional nurse, was placed in service last year to assist in the care of wounded soldiers at Brooke and Walter Reed Army medical centers.
This week, 10 EMMA units, which each cost about $10 a day to operate, began to deliver prescriptions for individuals in LIFE Pittsburgh, one of 60 programs nationwide under Medicaid’s Program for All-inclusive Care of the Elderly, according to Tony Pratt, VP Sales and Marketing.
This summer, the New York Office of Mental Health will introduce the devices for patients required by courts to document medication records, as well as other individuals requiring intensive medication management for state or local agencies or needing well-managed medications to live independently.
EMMA will also work with Living Well, a San Francisco-based provider of managed care, and major pharmaceutical companies are negotiating with INRange under non-disclosure agreements for EMMA’s use in clinical trials. And, with the U.S. Army’s Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, the company has begun a two-year study on remote medication management.
“We have expanded into the consumer and commercial markets and expect our revenues to grow tremendously as we expand our channels of distribution through independent pharmacies who serve patients in long-term care in out-patient settings,” says Mark Drummey, Executive VP of Business Development.
Source: INRange Systems, Anthony Pratt, Mark Drummey
Writer: Joseph Plummer