Berkshire granted $2M to further develop opioid treatment device with finger, dental biometrics

Berkshire Biomedical has been awarded funding to continue the development of its biometric home methadone administration device.

The technology’s development is supported by a two-phase Fast-Track Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant of $2 million from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), operated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The Computerized Oral Prescription Administration System (COPA) delivers precise doses of controlled or non-controlled medications to users authenticated with their fingerprint biometrics, and then again at the point of medication delivery with dental recognition.

The company also raised $3 million to develop its multi-biometric device in early-2021.

Methadone is used in opioid addiction treatment, but can be dangerous if not administered correctly.

Only 15 percent of Fast-Track SBIR grant applicants were chosen in 2021, according to Berkshire Chief Executive Officer John Timberlake.

“Prior to the COVID-19 epidemic, there was a serious unmet need to support OUD patients,” says Timberlake. “Now there is an even greater critical need for a system capable of accurately and securely dispensing methadone for at home use that incorporates real-time remote monitoring, as the pandemic has limited access to methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) programs in both urban and rural sections of the U.S.”

Berkshire intends to complete a set of enhancements to its COPA, carry out testing, and then submit a De Novo request for revue by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. De Novo is a review for a new type of medical device.

SOBRsafe awarded

SOBRsafe has won an award for its non-invasive alcohol detection technology SOBRcheck, which uses fingerprint biometrics to confirm the identity of the individual.

The solution won the 2022 New Product of the Year award in the Safety Monitoring Devices category from the publication Occupational Health & Safety.

The company also recently signed a distribution agreement for the U.S. with RecoveryTrek.

Article Topics

alcohol detection  |  Berkshire Biomedical  |  biometrics  |  fingerprint biometrics  |  healthcare  |  identity verification  |  research and development  |  Sobr Safe  |  teeth recognition