Nathan Lamaster, inventor of the Pill Puncher, stand in front of his product at Copeland’s Pharmacy in Chandler. The Pill Puncher was released on the market approximately six months ago.

A Tyler resident has invented and patented a medical device that is now being sold across America.

The Pill Puncher, invented by Nathan Lamaster, was officially released to the market approximately six months ago.

The Pill Puncher is a medical device used to assist people with opening blister packs of medicine. It was created with nurses, seniors, people with arthritis, and people who loathe opening blister packs of medicine, according to Lamaster.

Lamaster said it was while he was working with nurses who opened hundreds of medications each day.

“It was during my work in inpatient behavioral health and working with nurses who opened hundreds of medications each day which came in blister packs,” he said. “During my time as a therapist there I was challenged by one of the nurses, Sharon Black, to create a tool to use in this environment that was psych safe, efficient, and sanitary as there was no such tool on the market.”

“The Pill Puncher was born after 26 prototypes through using the 3D Printers at Tyler Innovation Pipeline and doing tests with the nurses I worked with at UT Health Northeast,” Lamaster said.

Lamaster credits Tyler Innovation Pipeline for making the device possible at an affordable rate.

“Having access to the Tyler Innovation Pipeline equipment at a reasonable cost saved me thousands of dollars on prototyping.”

Lamaster, how also owns SMART CEUs Hub which is an online continuing education provider for Recreational Therapists, the journey to making the Pill Puncher brought many lessons learned.

“It was about five years in the making, give or take a few years off,” he said. “There was a whole journey and lots of lessons learned along the way.”

Lamaster went on to say he isn’t finished with the product and plans to expand under the brand.

“As a serial entrepreneur I always have new ideas and business plans including expanding the products offered under the Pill Puncher brand,” he said.

The Pill Puncher is available online at www.pillpuncher.com, on Amazon, and locally at Copeland’s Pharmacy in Chandler.

The Pill Puncher is also being sold directly at Canton First Mondays and at local health fairs.

Lamaster said white labeling options are also available for companies who want to put their logo on them for marketing or purchasing for their corporation.

Lamaster said the product was created in Tyler and intends to build relationships with local businesses creating a win-win opportunity for the community.

The Pill Puncher US Patent Number is #10,792,223. For more information, visit www.pillpuncher.com.