George I’ons - head of Product Strategy and Insights at Owen Mumford Pharmaceutical Services takes a deep dive into the state of the connected drug delivery device industry.
Connected
The current health crisis highlights the value of migrating some healthcare procedures beyond the confines of the hospital. In some areas, this is already well-developed, notably remote patient monitoring for chronic respiratory conditions and diabetes. Other areas are now playing catch-up; according to our own analysis, the global market for connected drug delivery devices (injectables and inhalation devices specifically) is projected to reach $706 million by 2025 – that is to say a CAGR of over 25% from its $225 million value in 2020.[1] This projected pace will however depend on a number of key stakeholders and their attitudes towards the development and adoption of these devices. Given the potential of increased digitalisation in improving the efficiency of health services, a careful examination of the healthcare landscape and the factors driving new forms of patient monitoring is constructive.
Benefits for key stakeholders
Connected drug delivery devices use embedded electronics and sensors to report on information such as the time, volume and site of the dosage self-administered by the patient, allowing clinicians to remotely monitor adherence. In cases where a patient’s response to therapy and eventual outcomes are not as anticipated, this may make the clinicians’ job much easier by providing them with some of the necessary data to understand why. By potentially helping to deliver better health outcomes for their patients, increased connectivity may play a part in alleviating some of the pressure on clinicians, especially as health services globally are suffering from staff shortages[2].
For payers, a decreased reliance on healthcare services, especially in the acute care sector, lends itself to a reduction in overall healthcare costs. Using new data channels provided by connected devices, patients can be monitored without having to visit the hospital or clinic as often. Correct dosage and administration timing and frequency are essential factors to the success of a treatment, and connected devices may help patients comply with the prescribed regime through reminders and adherence trackers as well as providing training, information and support. Ultimately, this increases the chances of a treatment being successful and may reduce escalation to further interventions in the long-term, as well as the burden on healthcare services. Many increasingly prescribed injectable biological therapies are costly, so the opportunity to reduce waste is also welcomed by pharmaceutical companies and those payors providing reimbursement. A growing number of pharmaceutical companies offer wider services in addition to supplying the drug itself, such as training and support, and these can now extend to adherence monitoring and benefit tracking. Connected devices will most likely play a key role in the delivery of these services and in demonstrating value for money as well providing key patient benefits.
From the perspective of the patient, being able to step away from the typical clinical setting and take parts of their medication regime into their own hands makes the day-to-day of living with a chronic illness more manageable and easier to assimilate with their personal lives. More than that, patients are given access to their own treatment data which may help to solidify their understanding of their own condition. Training can also be provided to patients through connected technologies which offer guidance and information on best practice for self-injection as well as additional support for their condition. Connectivity also means that treatments may be able to be tailored to patient indicators, potentially making them more effective. The amount of information that is shared with the patient and the frequency of notifications are important considerations in the development of these products and may impact patient adherence both positively and negatively if not properly understood. In fact, ease-of-use and patient comfort will need to be prioritised from the very beginning of the device design process. Manufacturers must carry out mandatory Human Factors (HF) studies with that objective: to mitigate any risks and improve product usability. Ultimately, devices are no longer to be designed solely for healthcare professionals and developers must instead keep the variety of patient types and demographics in mind throughout the design process.
Adhering to regulatory requirements and sustainability objectives
A hurdle in the development of connected devices and the aim of improving adherence is the requirement from insurers and payors that they produce measurable outcomes. This may turn out to be challenging to prove without first deploying the products on the market. Device manufacturers will also need to ensure that devices are interoperable with standard clinical information systems and are robustly protected from the risk of data breaches. This will require collaboration between regulators and market players if data security is to be guaranteed. Finally, device designers will need to consider the sustainability of the connected devices they are bringing to the market. As electronic components often contain rare-earth metals which are largely not recycled properly, making disposable connected devices may have a damaging impact and would be costly to produce.[3] With environmental concerns high on the world agenda, finding a sustainable hybrid approach will be crucial in the development of connected drug delivery devices. The ability to reuse parts of the device would be a good starting point. For instance, some designs may opt to offer disposable injection devices but coupled with a reusable connected ‘shell’ section containing the electronic components.
As the world continues its battle with Covid-19, the potential efficiency benefits of connected drug delivery devices for healthcare systems is more apparent than ever. These benefits should help unite stakeholders to collaborate and overcome any hurdles together. The specific benefits for each involved party are numerous, and challenges such as environmental concerns, data security issues and regulatory considerations will be easier to tackle collectively. The growth of the connected device industry is inevitable, but the extent of its large-scale deployment and the success of this will depend on collaboration between parties.
References
1] Referencing proprietary data, along with third party reports such as: GrandView Research, Connected Drug Delivery Devices Market Analysis, Dec 2018; Acumen Research, Connected Drug Delivery Devices Market, Nov 2019; Future Market Insights, Connected Drug Delivery Devices Market, Dec 2019.
[2] WHO, Addressing the 18 million health worker shortfall, 28 May 2019
[3] Deutsche Welle, Smart devices score poor marks on recycling, 21 Nov 2019