Inventor with Nashville ties works to help transplant patients, others | The Tennessean | tennessean

Written by Heidi Hall The Tennessean

A Chicago man with historic ties to Nashville has invented a product to help people remember to take their medications.

But unlike a wrist or phone alarm — easilyshut off and ignored — the CertAlert pendant must be swiped against a sticker on the medication itself before its increasingly loud alarm will stop.

Inventor and entrepreneur Douglass Bevel is the son of Diane Nash and the late James Bevel, both leaders of the Nashville civil rights movement. He said his inspiration came from his son, who lost a transplanted kidney by forgetting to take anti-rejection medication. Bevel said he’d watched his son sometimes shut off his wristwatch alarm but then get distracted before he actually took the meds, ultimately leading to reliance on dialysis to stay healthy.

“When I learned about the disease, I found out that it was common among transplant recipients,” Bevel said. “You get to feeling better, and you drop your guard.”

However, the device — which will retail for $13.99 and goes on sale later this week — is for anyone who must remember medications to stay healthy, he said. He started his company, Prodico, five years ago. The next device rolled out will be a dispenser that allows for pre-counting pills and interfaces with the CertAlert pendant.

Learn more at CertAlertpendant.com or Prodico.net.

via Inventor with Nashville ties works to help transplant patients, others | The Tennessean | tennessean.com.