Novo Nordisk has launched its ninth app to help hemophiliacs and caregivers track bleeding events and medications. The Danish drug developer has been deepening its blood disorder diagnostic tools aimed at healthcare professionals as well as consumer-friendly apps for tracking and gaming.
Novo Nordisk’s HemaGo app is designed so that more than one family member can use the tool to monitor the genetic bleeding disorder. HemaGo users can track medications and set reminders for treatment or doctor’s appointments. They can also record factor usage and the reason for the infusion; the type, location and duration of bleeding events; and pain scores including the impact of the bleeding episode on the patient’s participation in work or school, according to a company statement. The company claims it is the first to help individuals track almost every aspect of living with a bleeding disorder, regardless of their medication or disorder.
A spokeswoman for the Princeton, New Jersey-based company said its gaming app coming out soon will be an engagement tool rolled into an asteroid blasting game.
“We are about to launch the Novo Rocket Trooper Gaming app. This game takes the patient through a maze of asteroids and has them answer disease state information questions giving them additional turbo boosts and force fields. The objective of the game is to provide a fun way for patients to learn about hemophilia and to provide a distraction for young patients while they are receiving their infusions.”
Its Coags Uncomplicated app is designed as a tool to help doctors diagnose coagulation disorders.
An estimated 20,000 people in the U.S. have hemophilia with 500 new cases diagnosed each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There has been a jump in the number of hemophilia apps in the past couple of years with apps from CSL Behring, Baxter Healthcare and Pfizer available at the iTunes Store.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals’ FactorTrack, released in June 2010, was the first to help hemophiliacs track their bleeding events, infusions and doses as well as alerts for infusions. It released an updated version of the app last month. CSL Behring also launched an app, HeliTrax, for people with hemophilia A in 2010, along with an updated version in August. Michael Schultz, the creator of Hemolog in 2010, has since joined Affinity Biotech, a specialty pharmacy that provides home care for people affected by bleeding disorders.
The mobile health app market is expected to soar to nearly $12 billion by 2015.
