ALR
Technologies and Dosex Inc.
Reach
Canadian Marketing and Distribution Agreement
WINSTON-SALEM,
N.C. (July 8, 2003) - ALR Technologies Inc. (OTC: ALRT), located in the
Piedmont Trial Research Park in Winston-Salem, has appointed Dosex Inc. of
Montreal as its marketing, sales and distribution agent in Canada of ALR
Technologies' Med Reminder medication reminder devices.
Jacques
Boisvert, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dosex Inc., who has
more than 20 years experience as a senior executive of major
pharmaceutical companies in Canada and abroad, said his past experience
with the ALR Technologies medication reminder devices gives him confidence
in creating renewed consumer demand and in expanding the market potential
for the ALRT Med Reminder devices.
"As
President and General Manager of Novopharm Quebec and Technilab Pharma
Inc., we purchased several hundred thousand of dollars of the initial
version of ALRT Med Reminder devices. They were available through retail
drugstores, while the pharmacist programmed each device according to
patient's needs. Numerous testimonies from patients and pharmacists
reported a marked improvement in patients complying with the prescribed
medications," said Boisvert. "With the significant improvements
and enhanced features of the new version of the PC 100, we can achieve
significant market penetration in Canada."
"Canadian
pharmacists are very attentive to the needs of patients and the importance
of reliable and user-friendly Med Reminder devices to enhance overall
compliance," Boisvert added. "We are excited about our agreement
with ALR Technologies that allows us to re-enter the market. All
stakeholders, namely pharmaceutical companies, physicians, pharmacists,
government authorities, insurance companies are all looking for ways of
reducing healthcare costs and enhancing patient health outcomes."
In
Canada, the direct cost of non-compliance is estimated at more than $10
billion due to undue side-effects and hospitalization. A breakthrough
device such as the ALRT Med Reminder PC100 can greatly contribute to
reducing that cost, while helping the patient obtain full benefits from
the prescribed treatment.
ALRT
Med Reminder devices address the problem of patient
"noncompliance" with medication - more readily understood as
"not taking your medicine on-time as prescribed" - which
according to the office of the U.S. Inspector General causes 10 percent of
all hospitalizations and more than 125,000 deaths annually in the
cardiovascular area alone.
Sidney
Chan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ALR Technologies, said that
the time and investment spent on improving and expanding the company's
product portfolio will help greatly in generating market acceptance with
drug companies, pharmacies, medical centers and patients. "We made a
significant investment to improve our products, as we utilized feedback
from consumers to develop features that now allow us to provide the
top-of-line and easy to use medication compliance devices that meet the
various needs of users".
"We
devoted more than two years in development in order to have the best
products and, a portfolio that provides easy to use devices to fit various
needs. Thus, we will be introducing other products later this year,"
said Chan.
Small
enough to fit in the palm of your hand, ALR Technologies Med Reminders are
easy to use and affordably priced. They remind to take their medications
on time with both and audio and visual cue. ALR Technologies is currently
selling a manually programmed reminder device as well as the PC100, which
is programmed with a computer. It can be set quickly and easily at a
pharmacy or medical clinic and sent home with the patient. Furthermore,
either the patient or a caregiver can easily program the Med Reminder
device.
People
of all ages - whether too busy or just plain forgetful, especially when
taking multiple medications - fail to take a variety of medications,
including antibiotics, hypertension drugs, diabetes medications,
asthma medications, cholesterol lowering drugs, birth control pills,
time-critical HIV/AIDS drug regimens, depression treatments, glaucoma
treatments, blood sugar level testing for diabetics and, many more.
In
addition to 10 percent of all hospitalizations, the office of U.S.
Inspector General reports that up to 23 percent of nursing home admissions
could be prevented if people took medications on time, as prescribed. It
is estimated that medication noncompliance results in additional
healthcare costs - including those associated with nursing home admissions
- in excess of $100 billion per year in United States.
ALR
Technologies Inc. (OTC: ALRT), produces and markets ALRT Med RemindersT,
which are available in the USA at Eckerd stores system-wide and at other
select retailers. The devices are also available for purchase at www.takemedsontime.com
or by calling toll-free at 877-257-6337. For more information on
ALRT Med RemindersT and medication non-compliance, go to the company
web-site www.alrt.com.
