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Paris and Bernay, France, June 4, 2013 - Curie-Cancer, the body responsible for developing Institut Curie’s industry partnership activity and Biolog-id, a French SME which develops, manufactures and markets complete labeling and traceability solutions under some 20 international patents, today announce a partnership to develop an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) solution for use in tracking chemotherapy bags. The collaboration aims to make it possible to comprehensively track chemotherapy preparations through the whole process, from centralized pharmacy preparation through to administration to patients in health care settings.
Within a multi-site hospital setting like the Institut Curie, the drug circuit is a structured process involving multiple functions. The larger the number of steps (prescribing, preparing, dispensing and administering), clinical stakeholders (doctors, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and nurses) and information and product flows, the more complex the process and the greater the potential for error. Administering one particular patient’s chemotherapy preparation to another patient may have tragic consequences, but it is incredibly rare. A more common occurrence, however, is that a preparation intended for one health care department is routed to another. The considerable cost of some cancer drugs and the disruption to activity within the department mean that this can have significant consequences. Against a background of cost control and safety and quality in health care it is crucial for any technological response to reflect standard practice.
With extensive experience in the field of blood bag traceability, Biolog-id intends to apply its expertise to the monitoring and tracking of chemotherapy bags. Based on a label that incorporates an electronic RFID tag and is affixed to every preparation, this innovation represents a technological breakthrough: tag information is updated automatically at different stages of the process (preparation, transportation and administration). Preparations therefore become ‘intelligent’, offering the scope for storage of additional information, such as drug dosage, patient identity, stages in manufacture and inspection and routing. The concept also aims to improve safety in health care over time by guaranteeing complete traceability for all unit dose preparations dispensed for a named individual, including parenteral nutrition, dialysis bags and other injectable preparations.
Biolog-id was therefore looking for a hospital facility with an interest in developing this type of solution and with the capacity for testing and allocating health care staff time to provide the clinical expertise required.
“We were interested in this idea right from the start,” said Marion Lafay-Bourquin, pharmacist, and Christian Magne, manager within the Pharmacy department. “Over time one of the potential applications for this technology is in tracking preparations shared by the Institut Curie’s different hospital sites.”
The project involves over a dozen people, with the initial aim of defining the technical specifications for Biolog-id’s proposed traceability solution in conjunction with medical staff, then testing it in parallel with the existing system. Biolog-id’s goal is to verify the pilot solution in place at the Institut Curie, then make it available to other institutions in France and worldwide.
“As an SME, it is not always easy to access academic expertise. However, to stay competitive, it is something we have to do,” said Jean-Claude Mongrenier, chairman and CEO of Biolog-id. “There was an immediate rapport with Curie-Cancer, because they, like us, were aiming to improve the safety of patient care and reduce costs. In addition, they had a clear desire to help an SME and to support us in developing our plans, which we definitely appreciated.”
“We are delighted to be able to contribute to the development of a French SME like Biolog-id,” said Damien Salauze, director of Curie-Cancer “This is the essence of the Institut Carnot label which we were awarded by the French government in 2011 in recognition of our drive to provide concrete solutions for industry and ultimately for patients. Our partnerships usually involve a significant element of laboratory-based research work, but I am delighted that our expertise in hospital settings also addresses the requirements of other types of industrial partner.”
About Curie-Cancer
Curie-Cancer is the body responsible for developing Institut Curie’s industry partnership activities. It oversees the institute’s existing industry partnerships as well as areas of high potential interest to industry partners. Institut Curie’s 1,200 researchers provide the high level of expertise in oncology required to collaborate with industry partners in creating and subsequently developing cancer therapies.
Curie-Cancer management has extensive industry experience and can call upon a vast pool of scientists involved in basic and clinical research. In 2011, Curie-Cancer was awarded the “Institut Carnot” label by the French government, which recognizes excellence and involvement in research partnerships.
About Institut Curie
Institut Curie is a private foundation founded in 1909 by Marie Curie, the first woman Nobel prize-winner and the first Nobel prize double-winner. It is the leading comprehensive cancer center (combining research and patient care) in Europe. Institut Curie’s research center and hospital employ some 3,200 scientists, physicians, nurses, technicians and administrative staff. The institute’s current objectives include increasing the proportion of research programs carried out in partnership with industry so that research results can lead to faster availability of products and services for the benefit of patients. For more information, go to: http://www.curie.fr/en
About Biolog-id
Biolog-id is an SME specializing in the development of labeling and traceability applications based on a proven technology, RFID. Biolog-id specializes in innovative end-to-end traceability solutions in the area of life sciences. The company received particular recognition for its innovative traceability solution for blood products, which was awarded a prize for innovation et maturite d’integration du systeme d’information [innovation and maturity in information system integration] at the 2012 HIT health care trade show in Paris. The previous year, Biolog-id was nominated and made the final of the world RFID conference in Orlando, Florida with its tracking and management solution for plasma bags. With expertise and numerous international patents to its name, Biolog-id is establishing itself as a leader for the future of traceability as it applies to health. For more information, go to: http://www.biolog-id.com
Mark Tidmarsh
ANDREW LLOYD & ASSOCIATES
http://www.ala.com
mark@ala.com
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