Got a Cold? Use Your Cell Phone.
Pickka Med mobile app helps you sort through cold and flu drug options.
Ever stared bleary-eyed at the bewildering array of over-the-counter drugs at the pharmacy–aching, sniffling, coughing, and wanting nothing more than to go back to bed? Silicon Valley startup Evincii has an app for that.
The search company launched its Pickka Med mobile application this week to help consumers sort through their choices for first-aid treatments, pain relief, digestive trouble, and cold and allergy medicines. Available for the iPhone, Blackberry, and Android phones, the tool recommends the best over-the-counter drugs to treat specific symptoms, based on age, illness, and any drug allergies. It can even narrow its suggestions based on information from specific store chains, if you allow it access to your location.
The app is simple to use, and helpful–if a little simplistic–for sorting through the (literally) thousands of possible options to treat different combinations of symptoms. Evincii also has a mobile app in beta to help consumers select vitamin supplements, with health food and skin care apps to come. It’s all part of a larger trend toward consumer-oriented medical info apps for the iPhone, Blackberry, and other smart phones.