ENSURING patients can access critical medicines is a key function of the pharmacy profession.
Usually that means having a well dispersed network of community pharmacies, but even then there can be gaps in the system.
For one Irish patient with diabetes, Marion Hernon, who lives on the Aran Islands, accessing her local pharmacy usually means a short boat trip through the Atlantic Ocean to Galway for medication.
However, a ferry ride may no longer be required after a team from the National University of Ireland Galway successfully delivered her insulin by drone from Connemara Airport (outside Galway city) to Hernon's home in Innismore, 18km away.
Pharmacist, Pauline Forde, from Staunton's Allcare Pharmacy in Galway, told The Irish Times it was, "extremely important that we have a way to deliver fridge medications such as insulin in emergency situations, which this drone delivery system allows us to do".
The team behind the successful project believe drones could be used to deliver medicines when other channels are not operating.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 20 Sep 19
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