Setting the bar
Novartis bold step forward using microchips for patient prescription compliance may be just what the doctor ordered for patients and the industry on patient compliance and adherence.
Pharma has spent a lot of time talking about patient compliance and the importance of proper adherence to achieving desirable healthcare outcomes. But as I see it, much of what has been proposed and piloted to date has fallen short of actually making the kind of impact truly needed.
Novartis, however, recently announced a move that may be a real game-changer. The company is testing a new technology with Proteus Biomedical that inserts a tiny microchip into each pill swallowed and sends a reminder to patients by text message if they fail to adhere to their doctors prescribed orders.
Early tests of the system, which broadcasts from the chip in the pills to a receiver on the patients shoulder, are encouraging. In 20 test patients on the drug Diovan, a blood pressure medication, Novartis reports compliance was improved 30-80% over six months.
And although the microchip approach is not a one-size fits all answer for every patient and therapy area, there are few things about this announcement that really intrigue and excite me. First, this kind of technology plays into exactly what the pharma industry understands and does best innovation. Simply put, its right up pharmas alley. And that means its likely to go a long way toward ensuring that its something pharma will stick with and excel at.
Second, while the results are still quite preliminary, it shows promise for having an impact in long-term chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes, which are often the toughest for improving patient compliance.
But perhaps whats most encouraging of all is the emphasis Novartis seems to be placing on tackling the patient compliance conundrum in general. In a recent report from the Financial Times, Joe Jimenez, head of pharmaceuticals at Novartis, said he was close to appointing a compliance czar to oversee a wide range of other partnerships and programs to strengthen the appropriate use of medicines.
That says to me that Novartis (with many others likely to follow close behind) is finally starting to take bold steps to improve compliance and adherence seriously. Theres no doubt that as healthcare reform takes hold in the US and elsewhere, patient outcomes will be getting stronger emphasis across the board. So its good to see pharma finally starting to take compliance and adherence strategies seriously enough to make them a management priority.
This may be the turning point we've been waiting to see.