# COPA, an Automated Medication Dispensing and Remote Management System for at Home Methadone Dispensing

> **NIH NIH R44** · BERKSHIRE BIOMEDICAL CORPORATION · 2022 · $266,048

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Methadone maintenance reduces and/or eliminates the use of opioids, reduces the death rates
and criminality associated with opioid use, and allows patients to improve their health and social
productivity. In addition, enrollment in Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) can reduce the
transmission of infectious diseases associated with opioid injection, such as hepatitis and HIV.
The Computerized Oral Prescription Administration System (COPATM) device is being developed
as an automated oral liquid dispensing system. COPA is specifically designed to deliver liquid
oral controlled and non-controlled medications to the validated Intended User. While the need for
COPA began with an opioid epidemic with adverse consequences that have escalated in the last
two decades, an even more urgent need for a take-home device supporting opioid use disorder
(OUD) patients emerged at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has limited
access to methadone maintenance therapy/treatment at opioid treatment programs in both urban
and rural sections of the US. The COPA device has a major application to at-home methadone
maintenance treatment, based upon the device's innovative dual biometric confirmation of both
the patient's fingerprint and dentition before delivery of drug. We propose to design, engineer and
human factor test an enhanced COPA prototype and submit it for FDA De Novo approval.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10547572
- **Project number:** 1R44DA057185-01
- **Recipient organization:** BERKSHIRE BIOMEDICAL CORPORATION
- **Principal Investigator:** John Timberlake
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $266,048
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-08-01 → 2023-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10547572

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10547572, COPA, an Automated Medication Dispensing and Remote Management System for at Home Methadone Dispensing (1R44DA057185-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10547572. Licensed CC0.

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