Dispension Industries enables Health Canada to scale up MySafe project

Health Canada has announced $3.49 million in funding through the Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP) to the MySafe Society for a harm reduction initiative enabled by Dispension Industries Inc.

Dispension Industries’ solution are their kiosks that enable participants to access individually prescribed medications, and create opportunities for consistent monitoring, education and assistance to manage drug use and reduce drug overdoses.

“In addition to directly addressing the toxic drug supply, MySafe greatly reduces the need to acquire money and drugs through the informal economy, which is life-changing for people caught up in the desperate pursuit of procuring drugs,” said Mark Tyndall, Executive Director, MySafe Society. “Early results of the MySafe project evaluation indicate that all participants were able to decrease their use of street opioids and most reduced their engagement in the street economy.”

Dispension Industries’ verified identity dispenser (VID) system is equipped with biometric palm vein technology that verifies a registered user’s identity before allowing them to access the restricted products stored inside.

The company’s involvement in this program has given the company pre-commercial access to a technology platform designed by corporate partners TELUS, BlackBerry, Solace and the Canadian Internet Registration Authority to accelerate the creation, integration and commercialization of connected IoT medical devices.

“We’re excited by the opportunity to validate our technology in the marketplace, particularly as the driving force behind this very important life-saving initiative,” said Corey Yantha, CEO, Dispension Industries Inc. “Canada continues to struggle with historic rates of fatal overdoses and MySafe is the most scalable way of addressing the overdose crisis head-on.”