Get yourself connected: The digital revolution's impact on drug delivery

Chrissy Bell, global business leader, 3M Drug Delivery Systems, looks at what the digital revolution is doing for design and commercialisation in drug delivery.

Today, patient empowerment is at the centre of the conversation surrounding healthcare and drug delivery technology. By using technology to augment existing care and provide the tools to allow patients to better manage their own conditions, we may empower patients to take back control of their own health, through the use of data and other insights.

Solving problems

With the arrival of new technology, we have the ability to address problems that have persisted for decades without a solution. For example, for patients suffering from asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), inhalation therapy hasn’t changed much in the last 50 years. Meanwhile, studies have shown that a vast majority of patients aren’t using their inhalers correctly or simply not using them at all.

By building technology into drug delivery devices, we can help address those problems. For example, the 3M Intelligent Control Inhaler, which is currently in development and not available for commercial sale, is breath-actuated so that patients do not have to coordinate their in-breath with triggering of the device. It can provide feedback and tips on the user’s technique to encourage and promote correct use. The device can also send reminders to a patient, to help empower patient adherence.

The benefits of this technology may not only improve patient outcomes, it may also drive down healthcare costs, which is one of the major factors driving technological advancements in the healthcare industry. We know preventive care saves money. By getting a drug more effectively and efficiently into a patient, we may prevent costly doctor visits, hospital stays, etc. I firmly believe that empowering patients in this way is key to reducing healthcare costs in the long term.

Gaining traction

While technology makes it possible to collect real-time data on a patient’s condition, in order to gain traction, innovations in drug delivery need to go beyond that. The days of data dumps without guidance on how to take action are behind us. We have to help a patient understand what the data means and how to use it. The focus needs to be on action-oriented devices that help coach patients to better outcomes.

Another factor that will help new drug delivery innovations gain traction is in the design phase. As scientists and engineers begin drafting new designs for drug delivery methods, they are now starting with the patient at the ground level and working their way up. That has not always been the case, and it has caused a disconnect that has inadvertently left patient circumstances out of the equation. The benefit of this new approach is the ability to first understand patient circumstances and the challenges they present. Technology makes it easier to address those issues on the front-end, with the goal to increase better results on the back-end.

Going mainstream

As high-tech drug delivery devices arrive on the market, we need to make sure patients and their healthcare providers are willing to embrace them. Whenever new technology is introduced, growing pains are inevitable. Learning how to use a new device takes time. It is a short-term investment for long-term gains of efficiencies and improved care, but, in their busy day-to-day lives, patients and providers may not always see it that way.

Due to these factors, when developing a new drug delivery technology, we must include input from patients and providers at all stages of development and make the process as easy for them as possible. When we talk to doctors, they tell us that sometimes technology is one more thing standing between them and their patients. Our challenge is to make sure digital drug delivery devices help the doctor-patient relationship, rather than hinder it.

Another challenge facing the digital drug delivery industry is high-profile security breaches. People are already cautious about sharing their personal information in the digital space. When it comes to sharing something as private as their health data, patients have reason to be reluctant. It is incumbent upon us to prove they can trust us.

Gathering that data may do more than just help individual patients. As we begin to aggregate patient data, we’ll be able to capture population trends for the first time. Those trends will open up insights and uncover information that may ultimately create better treatment plans that may result in better outcomes for the patient population as a whole. I think we’ll really feel the impact when patients begin to realise that sharing their own data benefits the greater good.

Conclusion

It is truly a time to be excited and optimistic. We are on the cusp of the digital revolution of healthcare. There is so much opportunity to improve the lives of patients and potentially fix problems that we know exist within our healthcare system. I believe, over the next five years, we’ll see that shift happen right before our eyes.