Smart syringe wins Shark Tank

A TEAM of Sydney University pharmacy researchers have taken out the Pharmacy Shark Tank session at PSA18 on the weekend, with a “smart syringe system” which aims to eliminate liquid medicine dosing errors.

The SetDose system developed by Professor Lyndal Trevena and her colleagues was commended for tackling a significant issue in the healthcare system via a threefold solution incorporating software, individualised encoded keycards and a device that attaches to standardised syringes.

The pharmacy ‘sharks’ - PSA national president Shane Jackson, Cathie Reid from Epic Pharmacy and Katrina Nielsen of Step Change - chose to invest $6,000 in the SetDose system.

Other finalists included Samuel Keitaanpaa from the Northern Territory, who was awarded $2,000 along with the People’s Choice Award for his innovation, VeriPharm Medicine Tracking, which is an electronic system linking physical medicine packets to their contents to create a universal record of when stock is transferred between parties.

The sharks said Keitaanpaa’s passion for improving quality use of medicines shone through, with his product having a “strong opportunity to increase oversight around medicine supply in Australia”.

The third place award of $1,000 went to Michelle Cassumbhoy and Carson Au’s M&C’s Cream with Concentrated Oatmeal.

The panel congratulated all three of the finalists for their “courage and dedication to bringing their groundbreaking projects to life”.

Pictured above from left are Cathie Reid, Katrina Neilsen, Professor Lyndal Trevena, Philip Boughton and Shane Jackson.