Dose-Adjustable Children's Medicine Dispenser For Use In Developing Nations Developed
The administration of imprecise dosages, particularly to small children, remains a serious problem faced by health care professionals working in poor and third world areas. To aid in this effort, Nectar Design has created a new adjustable medicine dispenser that enables workers to administer extremely precise dosages to children. The effort is in collaboration with the Releef Initiative, an international non-profit network dedicated to reducing childhood mortality in the developing world through innovative and effective pharmaceutical products.
Lacking access to a complete line of pharmaceuticals, pediatric medical workers in remote locations are often forced to deal with pills intended for adults, which are difficult to cut down to an accurate size for the needs of very small patients. Too often, the result is dosages that may be too large or too small, reducing the effectiveness of pharmaceuticals and nutritional supplements. The Releef Initiative's response to this issue is a new form of tiny, coated medicinal bead, about 0.5 to 1 millimeter in diameter, which can be easily mixed with food or water and administered to children with meals. While pharmaceutical companies will manufacture the beads, Nectar was tasked with creating a new form of dispenser to easily parcel out correct dosages and mix them with food or a beverage.
Working on a pro-bono basis, Nectar Design put its team of highly skilled designers and engineers to work on a precise and reliable, but also inexpensive and disposable, dispenser that could be easily used by healthcare workers. All licenses for the product are being donated to Releef, which funds its manufacturing partially through its ownership of intellectual property.
"In today's world, thoughtful design is increasingly a life or death matter, and Nectar is deeply committed to using its expertise and creativity to help make the world a better and safer place, especially when it comes to children," said Darren Saravis, Nectar's president. "Certainly, we can't think of anything more important than helping an outstanding organization like the Releef Initiative with its vital efforts."
For more information on the Releef Initiative, please see their website at www.releef.org.
SOURCE: Nectar Design