Robots promise to automate dispensing of methadone for OTPs

How opioid treatment programs connect with patients is being simplified by one startup — Opio — focusing on those connections in particular. The nursing shortage, projected to grow larger, can be handled by substituting robotics, so that when people need treatment, they don't need to wait, according to the company. Staff call themselves “innovators,” and they are. One of the specialties the company leaders bring to the table is addiction treatment. Amber Norbeck, co‐founder and CEO, is a clinical pharmacist with expertise in medication distribution systems and a belief in equitable access to treatment. COO Sam Wilson helped to build ATLAS, a quality measurement system for addiction treatment facilities (see https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adaw.34200 , https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adaw.34186 , and https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adaw.32786 ). The technology automates the manual process of preparing methadone doses using the ZING robot, which connects to a clinic's existing methadone pump. The robot measures, pumps, caps, and seals each dose, and prints and applies a patient‐specific label. Pharmacists can provide oversight remotely. The Drug Enforcement Administration, which regulates methadone treatment for opioid use disorder along with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, must approve this before it is used. Opio was founded in 2021 and is based in Kalispell, Montana. For more information, go to https://opioconnect.com/about/