Adherence: Do We Really Need an App for That? Do the Benefits Outweigh the Risks?
By John Mack
Adherence, as defined in the Pharma Marketing Network Glossary, is “Percent of doses of a drug taken as prescribed for entire period of study (compliance + persistence).” In short, “sticking to the proper self-administration of treatment.” Lots of patients — even patients taking life-saving medication — are not as “adherent” as they should be, which means that the treatment does not work as advertised and drug companies lose money. This has been discussed ad nauseum (see the links to articles listed here).
There have been many attempts by the drug industry to improve medication adherence, but it has been a tough challenge. The industry, however, has not given up. The new battleground for combating non-adherence is the mobile smartphone and the smartphone app is the weapon of choice. An example is the Care4Today “secure mobile app and website” that was developed and recently released by Janssen Healthcare Innovation.
Are the benefits worth the risk?
Topics include:
- Key Features
- Stumbling Blocks
- Time to Call Suuport
- Who’s This App Designed For?
- Do the Benefits Outweigh the Risks?
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PMN118-03
Issue: Vol. 11, No. 8: September 2012
