US Pharm
. 2006;6:105.
In a move designed to increase
Parata's share of the pharmacy automation market, the North Carolina–based
company announced in May that it has acquired McKesson's Automated
Prescription Systems (APS) business unit. Parata will now market an integrated
portfolio consisting of its Parata RDS (robotic dispensing system) along with
the low-volume semiautomated systems, mid-volume workflow and robotics
solutions, and high-volume processing systems formerly manufactured by
McKesson.
Speaking to U.S. Pharmacist
, Jess Eberdt, Parata's CEO, said that the acquisition allows Parata to offer
customers a complete line of pharmacy automation solutions. "When you look at
the product line that APS has and the technology and product that we have
today, the strategic combination of those makes for an extremely impressive
portfolio to take to the marketplace," he said.
Combining the two product
lines and sales forces will put Parata in an excellent position, explained
Eberdt. "It is really an opportunity to get our technology and our
solutions out to a broader base of customers in a quicker amount of time and
in the most efficient way possible."
Under the acquisition, Parata
will market all of McKesson's products, including its Baker Cells and
Cassettes, AccuScript robotic system (a direct competitor of the Parata RDS),
AccuMed counting and dispensing system, and Automated Will Call rotary
cabinet. Furthermore, McKesson's High-Volume Solutions division will obtain
exclusive rights to all of Parata's products.
Super-Sizing
Productivity: In
other news, Parata began installing super cells, a new feature of the Parata
RDS, earlier this year. The super cell was developed to reduce the frequency
of machine replenishments. With the standard cell, replenishment was needed
about once a day. "Our challenge was to create a larger cell in a smaller
space to give [pharmacists] incremental capacity in the machine in the
footprint that we currently have," said Tom Rhoads, Vice President of
Marketing for Parata. With the super cell, the replenishment rate decreased to
roughly once every two to three days.
The super cell, which holds
1,650 cc, is more than four times the volume of a standard cell (350 cc) in
double the space. The super cell is intended to reduce replenishment frequency
for large pills, fast-moving drugs, drugs whose inventory bottle capacities
are greater than a standard cell, and medications prescribed for 90-day counts
or more.
--Jessica Jannicelli and Abigail
Brugger, section editors
To comment on this article, contact editor@uspharmacist.com.
