This start-up is a great example as to why it's important to understand who the players are that deliver healthcare in the US.<p>You have the insurance companies that pay the costs (drug and non-drug). However, many insurance companies partner with PBMs (pharmacy benefit managers) and let them handle all of the processing (for a fee).<p>Guess who one of the biggest PBMs are? CVS Caremark. Yes, the same CVS as the retail pharmacies.<p>If this product is going to work, it needs to figure out how to create an incentive for the existing players to get involved.<p>If you look at your drug benefit card, it likely has a list of "preferred pharmacies". Go there and you pay less, go somewhere else and pay more. The PBMs control where you get the best deal. And yes, it's typically at their own pharmacies (e.g. CVS).<p>If this company were to approach a retail pharmacy with their idea, I'll bet the pharmacy says "no". Retail pharmacies already have contracts with PBMs/insurance companies that pays them a certain fee for dispensing. A retail pharmacy would likely <i>lose</i> money if they had this company repackage a prescription. The only way to make this attractive to the retail pharmacy is to make sure they either make the same or more money. That's up to the PBMs/insurers.<p>So if you take a step back and think about what drivers insurance companies, it's all about cost. Not just dollars, but improved outcomes for patients since that lowers costs as well.<p>Compliance (taking the right drug at the right time) is a huge issue in terms of drug costs. An insurance company might plop down $5K for a prescription. The patient may only take 3/4 of the doses and end up no better. That $5K was a waste. Asthma is a great example. Insurers are more than happy to pay $300/month for a drug that reduces ER visits. One ER visit can cost $1000K.<p>Now prove to an insurer/PBM that this type of packaging saves more than it costs (e.g. improved compliance) and they will come knocking on <i>your</i> door.<p>This of course entirely ignores the issue of drug distribution. There are some <i>huge</i> players out there and this company needs to figure out how to insert itself between the company that sends the drugs to the pharmacy and the pharmacy itself. I'll leave that for another time.