Drug delivery vendor pairs up with 'gamification' software for patient adherence

‘Gamification’ is the buzzword for encouraging desired consumer behavior by offering scoring, incentives and a sense of play; there are several efforts to apply these principles to medication adherence, a longstanding Achilles heel of drug dispensing. Now, West Pharmaceutical Services (Exton, PA) is partnering with HealthPrize Technologies (Norwalk, CT) to offer a variety of its drug-delivery platforms, branded as SmartDose, SelfDose and ConfiDose, with HealthPrize’s online rewards, scoring and datakeeping functions. In practice, patients using drugs contained in the West systems (which are generally injectable or infusible, administered by a healthcare provider or by the patients themselves) would automatically record when dosages were taken. HealthPrize offers programs that enable patient self-education and dosage monitoring, and to collect prizes based on successful adherence to therapy. In past implementations of the HealthPrize technology, adherence rates and drug sales rose by double-digit margins, according to HealthPrize.

West, a manufacturer of components and complete drug-delivery systems for injectables, has brought a variety of systems to the market that combine electronic control of dosing with a variety of communications linkages. The SmartDose device, for example, is said to be the first the first wearable bolus injector to be studied in a clinical setting. Going forward, West will develop digital wireless and other technologies, such as RFID, QR codes and smart labels, for use by pharma clients.

“Given the growth of biologics and other injectables, it makes perfect sense to combine West’s delivery system expertise with our patient engagement and adherence platform to drive better patient outcomes,” noted Tom Kottler, HealthPrize CEO, in a statement.