Lake Forest, IL – Kirby Lester, LLC, the leading pharmacy automation provider, and Tri State Distribution today announced that the Kirby Lester KL60 compact robotic dispenser is the exclusive pharmacy automation for the TriMaxx® 3-sided container/closure/label system. The companies announced this strategic technology partnership on the eve of the annual NACDS Pharmacy & Technology Conference in Denver, CO.

While traditional, round prescription vials are commonly automated by pharmacy robots, the TriMaxx’s triangular shape previously posed an engineering challenge. Now, Tri State customers can automate two sizes (75cc and 120cc) in the Kirby Lester KL60. The KL60 can apply one, two or three printed and patient-specific information panels on the container. Each labeled, counted and collated prescription takes 25-30 seconds to complete.

The two products are a natural combination because both are pioneering technology in the pharmacy industry.

• The KL60 is the industry’s only affordable, compact robot. At one-half to one-third the cost and size of other robots, the KL60 automates 35-40% or more of a retail pharmacy’s total prescriptions.

• The TriMaxx provides more space for dosage, refill and warning information than traditional round vial. The flat panel design allows the patient to read the instructions without having to rotate the container. A larger font size can be used, and the third panel can be used as a “personal billboard” for custom messages to the patient taking the medication.

“We are very pleased to provide robotic automation for this very unique container,” says Kirby Lester President and CEO Garry Zage, R.Ph. “With the expanded label space and easy-to-read flat panels, I am confident pharmacies will experience an increase in patient compliance.” Says Joe Miceli, President of Tri State Distribution, “We are very excited to be working with Kirby Lester on this project. They have stepped up and invested their time and money to develop an affordable, compact machine that is designed specifically to use our patented TriMaxx container/closure/label system. When you combine Kirby Lester’s recognized industry leading experience in pharmacy counting machines and the proven performance of the KL60 platform along with the myriad advantages of the most sustainable and adaptable prescript-tion dispensing system on the market today, you have an unbeatable combination in terms of both bottom line savings and top line enhancement.”

Laura Owens, Pharm.D., oversees the medication dispensing at Carolina Family Health Centers, a 340b clinic in Wilson, NC. She installed the KL60 in Q2 2012 specifically to accommodate her TriMaxx usage. From the very first day, the KL60 handled 37% of the pharmacy’s orders. “Choosing the right pharmacy automation for our 340b pharmacy was a priority and there were a number of attractive characteristics of the KL60 that made this decision easy for us. The simplicity of its operation makes training straightforward and the number of medications it handles ensures that we are processing orders efficiently. The small footprint of the KL60 made installation fast and stress-free,” says Owens, Director of Pharmacy at CFHC. “Last year, we put quite a bit of time and effort into the conversion to the Tri State TriMaxx and it was important that the pharmacy automation we selected would be able to be compatible. We were thrilled to find that the KL60 was the only one that handled the TriMaxx. It was a perfect combination.”

About Kirby Lester
Kirby Lester is by far the world’s leading pharmacy automation provider. Established in 1971, Kirby Lester maintains the largest market share of automatic tablet/capsule counter sales in the United States, plus 40 other countries. More Kirby Lester counters are used to dispense prescriptions in retail, mail order, hospital and long-term care pharmacies and manufacturing facilities than all other automated dispensing systems combined; over 40,000 pharmacies worldwide rely on Kirby Lester for their counting needs…exactly! For more information, contact Kirby Lester at 847.984.3377 or www.kirbylester.com.

About Tri State Distribution
Tri State Distribution, Inc. was established in 1992 as a distributor of pharmacy vials and closures. Based in Sparta, TN, TSD operates a state-of-the-art 350,000 sq. foot manufacturing plant. TSD has become one of the largest manufacturers of prescription packaging products in the United States. TSD’s founders have been awarded more than 20 patents on innovative closures and containers, with many more pending, leading the company to become skilled in a variety of manufacturing methods. TSD’s goal is to make the finest prescription containers in the country, at the lowest possible price to the customer. For more information, contact TSD at
800.392.9824 or www.provial.com