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Prescription drug vending machine installed on campus

Chris Williams, 12 News-TV Phoenix, Ariz.

There are vending machines for food, newspapers, DVDs and personal hygiene products, so it was perhaps inevitable prescription drugs would be next.

A machine made by a company called InstyMeds will start dispensing drugs in the Arizona State University's Health Services Building within a couple of weeks.

Arizona State University's campus medical center has installed a prescription drug vending machine.

The pharmaceuticals will be available to any student or university employee who has a prescription from ASU Health Services.

The machine will fill a need for students without transportation after the school's pharmacy closed Sept. 26. Health professionals had offered to transfer students' prescriptions to other pharmacies prior to the closure.

"Serving the health-care needs of our students is still our highest priority; we believe the measures we have taken will help our students with their prescription needs," said Allan Markus, director of ASU Health Services, in a statement at the time the school's pharmacy closed.

Customers will use a voucher with identification information, officials said. The voucher is tied to a code, which is transferred over a secure connection from the prescribing doctor to the machine and is good for only 24 hours.

"This is a great solution for students who want to access their medications right after their appointment," said Christiana Moore, a health services spokeswoman.

School officials wouldn't specify what drugs will be available in the machine but said it will include the 50 medications most commonly prescribed to college students.

According to Minneapolis-based company's website, InstyMeds machines decrease the likelihood of patients forgoing their medications because of the inconvenience of going to the pharmacy every month.

Until recently, the company has placed its machines only in emergency rooms, out-patient surgery offices and urgent-care offices.

ASU is the second university to get an InstyMeds machine, said Bob Bang, the company's vice president of client operations. Florida State University has one.

Bang said the machines sell primarily medications needed urgently, such as pain medications and antibiotics.

"You know, the things that you'd like to have right now to feel better," he said.

The company says the medication is secure in the 1,500-pound, vault-like machines, and it's alerted remotely to any tampering attempts.

The machines could also sell other items, from acid-reflux drugs to thermometers, he said. "We tailor each one per the needs of that location."

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