The Robot AwardFirst Prize(Business and Social Implementation Category)

Next generation pharmacy robot (automatic
pharmaceutical management), automatic pharmaceuticaldispenser, and digital shell OTC sales achieve a“Vision of a drug store for patients”
Nippon Becton Dickinson Company

Using automation to create more time for pharmacists.
Teaming up with medical institutions to supporta shift to value-added work.
Contributing to better quality of life for citizens.
■What is the pharmacy robot BD Rowa™ solution?

The BD Rowa Vmax™ System is an automated storage and dispensing
system that can take responsibility for managing most of the inventory(prescription and over-the-counter drugs) handled by pharmacies. It
supports pharmacists and people working in pharmacies by storing,picking, doing inventory control, stocking shelves, and managing expiry
dates, to allow people to shift their work to higher value-added tasks.
The system can also be connected to the following two optional
products to increase the value of the entire pharmacy, supporting not
only the staff but also improving the customer experience (CX).
1. Automated drug pickup machine (BD Rowa™ Pickup Terminal)
The terminal enables non-face-to-face pickup of prescription
medications 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Prescription
medication can be picked up any time without needing to meetanyone, including the same day, after instruction is given on how totake the medicine, either online or in-person. This is a highly flexible
solution achieved in a first for Japan thanks to the gray zone
elimination system.
2. Digital signage for OTC sales support (BD Rowa Vmotion™ Digital Shelf)
This is a tool that assists pharmacists in explaining OTC drugs topatients by displaying package and package insert information on ascreen. OTC drugs can also be dispensed to the pharmacist or other
employee by simply selecting them on the screen, allowing them toexplain or ring up the sale without interrupting the customer interaction. It
also eliminates the time and space required to display OTC drugs andeliminates the need to conduct inventory management.

■Expected Social Impact

In Japan’s super-aging society, medical insurance finances and nursing
care have been cited as major issues, and pharmacies andpharmacists are expected to play amajor role in improving medicalcare. The national government has
set forth a “Vision for Patient-centeredPharmacies” that calls for allcommunity pharmacies to haveso-called family pharmacy
capabilities by 2025. It calls for thecentralized and continuous
monitoring of patients’ medication
information, pharmacological
Scene of a next-generation pharmacy
management, guidance to check forwith the BD Rowa™ Solution
duplicate doses and interactions

between prescribed drugs, improving adherence through medication
guidance, promoting home dispensing for patients, and promoting
collaboration between pharmacies and medical institutions, to shift thepharmacist’s tasks from pharmaceutical-centered (physical) topatient-centered (interpersonal).
The BD Rowa™ Solution will contribute to the task shifting ofpharmacists from physical to interpersonal tasks, aiming to create asociety where each citizen can think and act on their own health.

■Implementation record

Since the first system was implemented in Japan in March 2019, thesystem has been installed all over Japan, from individual pharmacies tomajor dispensing chains and drugstores with more than 500 locations.
The system has been installed in all types of pharmacies (by university
hospitals, by hospitals, by clinics, on the grounds of hospitals, atpharmacies that service several small clinics, in front of train stations,inside medical malls, at drugstores, and in pharmacy distribution
warehouses). It has been well-received and some customers have eveninstalled the system in multiple stores.

■Fun Facts about BD Rowa™

1. Peace of mind with traceability function for pharmaceutical product recalls
All inventory is managed by ID, which enables checking products by themonth for their expiry dates that enables removal of expired products allat once. Not only that, but the prescriptions and lot numbers areconnected so that in the event of a recall they can be traced.

2. High efficiency storage and high-speed dispensing

By optimizing inventory (rearranging boxes) during free time, highly
efficient storage can be achieved in a limited space. Also, multiple
boxes can be picked simultaneously for high-speed dispensing.

BD RowaTM Pickup Terminal

BD Rowa VmotionTM Digital Shelf

Contact:

Nippon Becton Dickinson Company
View product details here

Address: Akasaka Garden City 4-15-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Customer Service Tel: 0120-8555-03
THE 9TH ROBOT AWARD

10