Boston and Israeli digital health business Medisafe has inked a deal with Merck KGaA, based in Darmstadt Germany, to roll out customized versions of its mobile medication management and adherence program for drugs taken by people with cardiometabolic conditions.
The deal is Medisafe’s first deal with Merck KCaA. Medisafe’s digital health tool will be used for Merck KGaA’s drugs spanning Type 2 diabetes, thyroid disorders, and cardiovascular diseases.
Customized versions could combine reminders, motivation and support systems, targeted content, coupons and interventions in their local language, according to a news release. The move reflects Medisafe’s collaboration with pharma companies to improve medication adherence, a complex issue with many reasons behind it from out-of-pocket costs for patients, to forgetfulness, side effects and other factors. It is a significant burden and contributor to healthcare costs as people run the risk of complications from not taking their medication in the manner prescribed, which could lead to hospitalization.
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“This is an extremely important step towards realizing our vision of supporting patients with comprehensive, integrated, value-added services that look beyond medicines to improve treatment outcomes,” said Simon Sturge, Chief Operating Officer at Merck KGaA, in the release. “We are confident that offering such a solution to our patients has the potential to significantly improve medication adherence by giving patients and carers the tools to organize, understand and manage their medications”
The program will initially be rolled out in Brazil, Russia, and Mexico, the release said.
“This relationship will provide necessary support and insights into adherence trends for patients in developing nations,” said Omri Shor, Medisafe CEO and cofounder.
It’s the latest digital health collaboration for the German pharma company, which last month launched a collaboration with Blue Mesa Health, a digital health business based in aimed for pre-diabetes.
A Personalized Approach to Medication Nonadherence
At the Abarca Forward conference earlier this year, George Van Antwerp, managing director at Deloitte, discussed how social determinants of health and a personalized member experience can improve medication adherence and health outcomes.
Merck KGaA’s venture arm, M. Ventures, is a backer of Medisafe.
For its part, Medisafe has drilled down on users’ de-identified data to provide market research analysis to pharma companies through a product called Medisafe Insights.
Pharma companies can identify challenges unique to patient cohorts over time. The information can help inform new strategies and tactics to improve patient engagement. The service is also intended to help pharma companies boost revenues and grab more marketshare for the longterm.
Merck’s deal with Medisafe reflects the pharma industry’s growing interest in digital health tools that can help quantify the effectiveness of their medication or offer supporting services for drugs and drug development. Roche, for instance recently acquired Flatiron Health and, a year earlier, acquired MySugr — a digital health company that uses gaming to make diabetes management more engaging. Last year, Otsuka Pharmaceutical secured FDA clearance for Abilify MyCite — a version of its Abilify drug geared to patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disease embedded with a sensor developed by Proteus Digital Health to track adherence.
