3 ms·
This is an interesting idea but it feels unlikely to be adopted -- every pill would look the same and branding/image (ethics be damned) are a huge part of pharm
by gavinray 4y ago
This is an interesting idea but it feels unlikely to be adopted -- every pill would look the same and branding/image (ethics be damned) are a huge part of pharmaceuticals.
Do you want generic Valium, or the Roche Valium that has the suave cut-out in the shape of a "V".
Xanax is a drug synonymous with "bar", the rectangular shape is locked with it's identity.
Somehow I don't see Big Pharma sweeping this idea up, however clever and useful it might be.
Good read though.
- jschulenklopper 4y agoIt’s not about branding. It’s about a way to distinguish between (expensive but) authentic manufacturer-supplied pills and fake/cheap knock-offs. Before this ‘invention’ the difference was almost impossible to check. There are really, really, outrageously expensive pills — to the effect of $ 20K per capsule — that makes fake-detection a viable goal. Look up Zokinvy or Zolensma.
- jschulenklopper 4y ago> every pill would look the same and branding/image are a huge part of pharmaceuticals. Companies could work with different color palettes though, based on the corporate or product branding. By smart placement of some colored dots, you could even show a logo surrounded by a random pattern.
- saulrh 4y agoFar more concerning to me is the part where pill shapes and sizes and colors are a critical safety mechanism: The pill that kills you if you take two of it is instantly distinguishable from the pill that you have to take four times a day, so if you get them mixed up in your pill organizer you have that one extra layer that could save your life.
- luckman212 4y agoI want to know more about this pill that is helpful in a single dose but fatal if you take two.
- sneak 4y agoMany opiates have a very low safety margin. Higher dose oxy come to mind.
- saulrh 4y agoI believe that the classic offender is digoxin, a common cardiac medication. As mentioned, opiates also commonly fall into this category. And it's less common today thanks to new legal restrictions on maximum indicated doses, but paracetamol/acetaminophen is also problematic.
- tecleandor 4y agoAlso, there are lots of people that take dozens of pills a day, including (but not limited to) older folks with limited eyesight or memory. The visual cues are essential. And there are databases for identifying pills, both legal: https://www.drugs.com/imprints.php https://www.drugs.com/imprints.php And illegal (ectasy in this case): https://www.pillreports.net/ https://www.pillreports.net/
- closewith 4y agoThat's only likely to be an issue in the very small number of countries where prescription drugs are allowed to be advertised (only the US and NZ, I think?). Before moving to SF from Dublin, I had no idea what any prescription drug looked like - even the ones I had taken where always generic pills or capsules.
- lozenge 4y agoPill color and other visual characteristics affect the placebo effect. This affects design even outside the US.
- rsynnott 4y agoI'd question how much this plays into pill design; I suspect it's mostly branding. Back in the day I used to take the antidepressant venlafaxine (Effexor in the US). The pharmacy would give me whichever manufacturer's version they had on the day; the pills all looked completely different. EDIT: Further evidence. Here (Ireland), advertising of pharmaceuticals is generally illegal, but certain over the counter pharmaceuticals can be advertised. And those ones _do_ usually have very consistent pill design; ~all paracetamol pills look basically the same as each other, despite having tens of manufacturers, as do all ibuprofen pills.