Pillbox was developed to aid in the identification of unknown solid dosage pharmaceuticals. The system combines high-resolution images of tablets and capsules with FDA-approved appearance information (imprint, shape, color, etc.) to enable users to visually search for and identify an unknown solid dosage pharmaceutical.
This system is designed for use by emergency physicians, first responders, other health care providers, Poison Control Center staff, and concerned citizens.
The system enables users to identify solid dosage forms based on physical criteria: imprint (characters or number printed on a medication), shape, color, size, and scoring. Users are shown thumbnail images of possible matches. These images are continually updated as the user enters additional information.
Once a solid dosage form has been identified, additional information is provided, including brand/generic name, ingredients, and the National Drug File identification number. Links are provided to NLM drug information resources, such as FDA-approved label information (DailyMed) and the Drug Information Portal, which searches all NLM drug information resources.
You can search for a pill by:
+ Imprint
+ Shape
+ Color
+ Size
+ Scoring
The search criteria listed above can also be combined.
Access Pillbox
A video tour is also available once you access the database.
As of September 2009 Pillbox contains 5,693 records. Of those, only 779 have images. These images are the result of a research project in which the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) photographed the solid-dosage formulary of one of the VA's Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacies (CMOPs). The pilot project mentioned in the previous question will increase the number of images available in Pillbox.
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