Connected drug delivery devices have become vital components for pharma to offer patients. The technology has matured and more treatments, such as injectables, are self-administered by patients at home rather than in a clinic. Read why our MyTherapy platform is the ideal foundation for pharma’s connected drug delivery devices and be used to form a more comprehensive patient support program.

MyTherapy as a Platform for Pharma’s Connected Drug Delivery Devices: 3 Key Benefits

Our MyTherapy platform supports a range of digital pharma services, including software for connected drug delivery devices. MyTherapy’s user base of over nine million patients has confirmed over 1.6 billion medication intakes, with the average user engaging with the app six times per day. With large patient communities existing in most therapeutic areas, the MyTherapy platform is a flexible and powerful platform for pharma’s digital patient services. Here are three key benefits of running connected drug delivery device software on MyTherapy.

1. Patient Adoption & Engagement

Patient adoption is a significant barrier to many of pharma’s digital health initiatives, including connected drug delivery device software. However good the software might be, it only matters if people are using it.

In the decade we have been developing MyTherapy and working with pharma partners on programs that run on the platform, we have continuously iterated and improved the onboarding stage to maximize adoption. Partner programs, such as connected drug delivery device software, can be accessed by patients using QR codes, links, and access codes. These unlock the program-specific features, including connectivity and features tailored to individual drug delivery devices.

The onboarding phase, which can include aspects such as registration and terms and conditions, typically determines whether users adopt the program or not. Those that drop off are unlikely to ever return.

We regularly review the analytics from our programs to understand user behavior and how to make improvements that drive user adoption. We also perform user testing to gain qualitative feedback and to better understand the usability of the software.

This approach is not limited to the onboarding phase. Every aspect of the app is subjected to scrutiny and testing to maximize usability.

The result is software that achieves class-leading levels of user adoption, retention, and engagement.

2. Initiation Support & Remote Guidance

Patients who are prescribed medications that are administered using a device like a smart injector are often using such a device for the first time. While clinicians will typically demonstrate how to use the device, doing so at home for the first time can be a daunting experience. Connected drug delivery devices can help make those crucial early experiences as comfortable as possible.

Onboarding support and remote guidance distributed via MyTherapy can help patients administer their treatment with confidence. Content, including articles, videos, and slideshows, can address many of the most common concerns people have when using such devices. Additionally, escalation channels, such as nurse lines, can be connected should patients require additional guidance.

Onboarding support extends beyond device training. Automated regimens can be configured that will schedule intake reminders within MyTherapy. This can be particularly beneficial for treatments that have a complex or irregular regimen and those that have a titration period. Automating this step relieves stress for patients and supports adherence from the very beginning.

3. Long-Term Adherence Features & Effective Interventions

Beyond the onboarding and initiative phase, the MyTherapy platform boasts a range of features designed to support patients in daily life and help drive long-term adherence and persistence. All of these features come ‘out-of-the-box’ for any program that runs upon the platform, including connected drug delivery device software.

Features include medication reminders that, as mentioned above, can be pre-configured to specific regimens. Users can also schedule reminders for measuring blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugar levels, and many other metrics, and keep a record of symptoms and side effects. All of the data entered by users is displayed in monthly reports, which can help patients and their healthcare team to identify progress and patterns relating to the treatment journey.

For patients taking self-injected medications, injection site tracking helps patients with injection site rotation.

Users can also keep track of their medication inventory, which automatically updates based on confirmed intakes. Programs running on MyTherapy can alert users when they are running low on their medication and direct them straight to an online pharmacy to refill.

These features not only support patients’ treatment needs, but they can also be configured to act as ‘smart triggers’ for interventions. For example, should a patient skip a certain number of doses, smart triggers can be used to push a certain piece of content or ask patients whether they are encountering any issues.

Working with smartpatient: QMS & ISMS

MyTherapy is a powerful tool for supporting patients in daily life and is the ideal platform for connected drug delivery device software. Beyond that, pharma can rest assured that smartpatient, the company that develops MyTherapy, meets the highest standards for its quality management system (QMS) and information security management system (ISMS). Both are audited by external bodies and achieve ISO 13485 and ISO 27001 standards respectively.

Pharma partners running connected drug delivery device software on the MyTherapy platform can, therefore, rest assured that sensitive data and information are securely stored and processed.

If you want to learn more about smartpatient and the MyTherapy platform, don’t hesitate to book a call.