Disclaimer: I'm not claiming that this idea is good, practical, sensible, or useful.

I suffer from allergies and get colds every winter. So I'm getting familiar with Anithistimines - maybe a little too familiar. All of the medicines I use are composed of basically the same ingredients. The only thing that is really different is the branding of each drug. Although brand name recognition is required to market things effectively, it is spurious to the task of symptom relief. So why not let customers order a custom drug based on what they have? I know it could never work, but apparently that isn't enough to stop me from writing it down. The Capsulator 2000 Here is the scenario: Congested and coughing, I drive down to my local SuperMart. I slide my credit card through the Capsulator 2000. The screen asks a series of questions: "Is your chest congested?" "No." "Are you coughing?" "Yes." "Is your head stuffy?" "Yes." Presto! A pill bottle with 24 caplets is delivered to me fully labelled, and I'm headed home for some rest. How it Works: When you slide your credit card, the machine asks which family member you are. An Internet database created by your family physician contains your name, weight, drug allergies and so forth. Using a separate server it comes up with questions (in whatever language you speak) about your condition. All control of question-asking and drug composition is handled remotely. Dry bins contain drug bottles, empty caplets, and micro-granules of each applicable drug. Once the ingredients are determined, the appropriate micro-granules are poured into caplets, which are put in a bottle, labelled, and given to the customer. Customer weight is used to measure out the right dosage for each caplet. The label on the bottle is printed with the ingredients, a warning that the pills should not be given to others, and a negligence disclaimer. If any data is missing, you are instructed to visit the Pharmacist, who can take your pertinent information (especially drug allergies and weight). Since it is all done over the Internet, you can enter the information from home and your drugs will be ready when you arrive at the store - just slide your credit card and out they come. It could even send an Email to your boss telling him you're sick! Market Segments As far as I can tell, there are a few obvious market segments for the Capsulator. Market Ingredients Pain-Relief Medications Aspirin, Acetaminophen Cold Relief Guaifenesin, Phenylpropanalomine Hydrochloride, Dextromethorphan Hydrobromide, Allergy Relief OTC: Pseudoephedrine Hydrochloride PRE: Loratadine, Clemastine, Terfenadine Machine Details The machine is designed to be supplied by a truck that visits from time to time. The connecting spout for each micro-granule container has a different shape so that the right drug always makes it into the correct container. Containers are segmented so that ingredients with an expiration date can be removed when appropriate. Who will hate it Doctors They will dislike the notion that their advice is ever predictable or that any part of their function can be taken over by a machine. But the truth is that people already make decisions about what drugs to buy over the counter, and doctors have no part of that. Drug Manufacturers Two parts of their organization will hate it: The marketers and the 'assemblers' who put drugs together, package and label them. But the marketers have little to fear. Each manufacturer will soon be marketing their own machine. The Government They'll worry about regulating this kind of drug distribution. How can they get assurances that the machines will be stocked properly? How can abuse be prevented? If you imply to people that these drug ingredients can be mixed together in a custom way, won't you be opening a Pandora's box in which consumers start mixing the ingredients together at home, with terrible effects? Conclusion When all is said and done, US culture would never accept this kind of idea. But its fun to think about. (c) 1998 Ken Demarest Nov 12, 1998