Pfizer’s interest in developing innovative ways to solve some of the current challenges with healthcare have spanned drug development to early detection of Alzheimer’s disease. A collaboration between the pharma company and Drexel University is using a variation on the Minecraft video game to improve health literacy and reduce the anxiety children and their caregivers might have of managing hemophilia, according to a news release.
Drexel’s Entrepreneurial Game Studio worked on the video game “Hemocraft”, which is geared for children aged 8-16 years old. It takes players on a quest in which interactions with a fictional healthcare professional help them understand how to adhere to their care plan, be prepared, and understand how their treatment works, the news release noted. Players are challenged to monitor factor levels and self-infuse to help control bleeding if needed.
Patient engagement and education seem to be the largest drivers for technology developing games in healthcare. Ayogo, founded by Michael Fergusson, has worked with pharma companies such as Merck, Astra Zeneca, Sanofi, Genentech, Boehringer Ingelheim and Boston Children’s Hospital to develop games spanning the dynamics behind cancer immunotherapy to grappling with insomnia and Type 2 diabetes.
But to make the mundane and occasionally painful tasks of physical therapy more compelling, companies such as Reflexion Health and Biogaming, have also enlisted video game or gaming techniques to help users do their exercises correctly so they get the benefit and automatically share performance with their care teams.
Pfizer also collaborated with healthcare engineering business Striiv on a wrist-worn wearable for a broader hemophilia patient population. It monitors daily activity and heart rate to measure intensity, according to a description of the device. The wristband uses Pfizer’s HemMobile app, which helps people log bleeds and infusions, and monitor their factor supply. Users can also schedule appointment reminders with the app.
Dr. Kevin Williams, Chief Medical Officer, Pfizer Rare Disease, said in a statement that the wearable and game were intended to help people with hemophilia feel more in control of their disease.
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.
“These new digital innovations can be integrated into everyday routines to help empower people with hemophilia to learn about and track different aspects relevant to their disease so that they can have informed conversations with their health care providers.”
