Deborah Adler, a Holocaust refugee and witness to the 9/11 terror attacks, revolutionized prescription packaging with her ClearRx system, combining her professions as an artist, technician, and entrepreneur. Her creation, first marketed by Target in 2005, aimed to reduce medication errors, which affect millions of Americans annually and lead to thousands of deaths. Inspired by personal tragedies and a near-tragedy involving her grandmother, Adler’s innovative approach has helped to save lives and improve patient safety across the country.
Born into a family of Holocaust survivors and medical professionals, Adler was driven by a desire to help her grandmother and others like her who faced hardships due to poorly designed prescription bottles. Her grandfather and parents’ medical backgrounds, combined with her family’s remarkable survival story during World War II, shaped Adler’s passion for innovation and compassion. She drew inspiration from her family’s experiences and channeled it into creating a solution that would benefit millions of people.
As a graduate student at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, Adler’s original thesis project focused on designing consumer products for individuals with curly hair. However, a series of events, including her grandmother’s illness after taking the wrong medication and the September 11 attacks, led her to shift her focus to improving prescription packaging. Despite initial doubts about the project’s marketability, Adler’s collaboration with Milton Glaser and Target eventually led to the introduction of ClearRx in 2005.
ClearRx’s success in the market and adoption by CVS pharmacies in 2015 solidified Adler’s reputation as an innovator in the design and healthcare industries. Her latest creation, AdlerRx, organizes prescriptions by days and times to create easy-to-follow schedules, addressing the complex medication regimens faced by many patients. With a patent for AdlerRx obtained in 2021 and availability at CVS pharmacies nationwide, Adler continues to push for her system to become the federal standard, aiming to save even more lives through improved prescription packaging.
Adler’s ability to turn personal tragedies and crises into opportunities for creative solutions has garnered recognition from both the industrial and art worlds. Her intuitive pill bottle design, combining a redesigned bottle, easy-to-read label, removable information card, color-coded rings, and redesigned warning icons, has been praised for its user-friendly approach. Exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, ClearRx showcases Adler’s dedication to improving patient safety and enhancing the healthcare experience for millions of Americans.
Despite the challenges and setbacks she faced, including the loss of her mother to pancreatic cancer in 2021, Adler remains committed to her mission of saving lives through innovative design. Her professor, Stephen Heller, praises her ability to respond to accidents and tragedies with creativity and compassion, highlighting the positive impact that individuals like Adler can have in shaping a better future. By transforming personal tragedies into opportunities for progress and compassion, Adler exemplifies the power of resilience and innovation in the face of adversity.
