12 ways pharmaceutical companies can benefit from mHealth apps

A recent article published by research2gudiance explains how smartphone applications can be instrumental for pharmaceutical companies.

The author, Ralf Gordon Jahns, names eight reasons and we at Aerotel Medical System added four more based on our own experience.

• Potential reach:  High growth rates will enable pharmaceutical companies reach 20% of the world population by 2015, mainly in developed countries.

• Differentiation: The potential for mHealth apps to support patient adherence and compliance makes them the ideal add-on for pharmaceutical products. Pharma companies offering applications will not only be providing a service, they will also differentiate their products from those offered by the competition.

• Facilitate improved patients outcomes: Manufacturers have an opportunity to support patients by developing applications that assist them in achieving compliance, thereby improving their outcomes.

• Contemporary marketing: Drug makers should re-allocate marketing budgets to applications, which are cheaper, more innovative, and represent a real value. 

• Learn more about patients: Apps provide direct usage information which can assist in understanding patients' habits.

• Saving costs: mHealth applications have the potential to offer various cost-saving areas.

• Improve relations with doctors: Apps are very personal tools and are one of the few things that doctors always carry with them. It represents new possibilities to interact with physicians and other healthcare professionals. 

• Increasing revenue: With the price for mHealth apps at $5 to $10, the possibility to develop apps that enable automatic replenishment of drugs based on patient consumption and electronic prescriptions exists.

We would add to the list:

• Faster development - Sharing emerging health info between users thorough mobile apps can help research-based pharmaceutical companies and medical laboratories identify disease patterns and develop new solutions in a faster and safer way.

• Clinical trials – Participants in clinical trials are required to provide information on their day-to-day moves. Using mHealth applications allows monitoring these patients in real time gathering critical data.

• Pharmacovigilance – Mobile applications can be used to allow faster detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of unexpected side effects of new medicines. By using mHealth solutions, drug manufacturers can quickly gather such information from a large group of users who are located in different areas.

• Fighting counterfeit medicines – The World Health Organisation estimates that more than 10% of medicines on the global market are fake and that in developing countries the some 25% are counterfeit or sub-standard. By using mobile applications, manufacturers can verify the authentication of their medicines.

Science Journal: mHealth brings hope to chronic disease patients

The usage of mobile devices equipped with Internet and social media capabilities presents real opportunity to enhance chronic disease prevention and management, according to a report published by Science Journal.

The authors, Deborah Estrin and Ida Sim note that chronic diseases including diabetes, asthma, and obesity account for 46% of global disease burden.

They call for a public-private partnership to define and instantiate open mHealth architecture in order to support medical discovery and evidence based practice.

The main argument is that the development and treatment of chronic diseases usually takes place outside of traditional clinical settings. mHealth allows patients to collect and share relevant data with their medical staff at any given time allowing more rapid convergence to optimal treatment.

The report concludes that standardized interfaces and shared components are critical for realizing the full potential of mobile health care delivery and research.

"Government, commercial, and nongovernmental entities involved in health IT and innovation should cooperate to define and instantiate architecture, governance, and business models and to steer initial mHealth investments into open architecture," Estrin and Sim wrote.

"open mHealth architecture may encourage innovation by easing application development. Shared standards and reusable components may enable rapid authoring, integration, and evaluation of personal data capture for clinical care and research. Hospitals, accountable care organizations and public health practitioners could mix and match from a rich, flexible set of data acquisition and analysis components".

Report: Third of all smartphone users to use mHealth applications in 2015

Over half a billion smartphone users will use healthcare mobile application by 2015, according to a new report published by research2guidance.

The report titled “Global Mobile Health Market Report 2010-2015” predicts that over one third of all smartphone holders (1.4 billion people) will be using mHealth solutions in five years time.

The report notes that (43%) of mHealth applications are primarily designed for healthcare professionals. These include CME (Continued Medical Education), remote monitoring and health care management applications.

 The authors said that consumers are taking advantage of mHealth solutions to manage and improve their own health. “Our findings indicate that the long-expected mobile revolution in healthcare is set to happen," said Ralf-Gordon Jahns, Head of Research at research2guidance. "Both healthcare providers and consumers are embracing smartphones as a means to improving healthcare.”

Today, some 17,000 mHealth applications are offered in major app stores, 74% of them adhering to the paid business model. The report predicts that future business models will include healthcare services, sensor, advertising and drug sales revenues.


“With the growing sophistication level of mHealth applications, only 14% of the total market revenue in the next 5 years will come from application download revenue,” said Egle Mikalajunaite, senior research analyst. “76% of total mHealth application market revenue will come from related services and products such as sensors.”

Aerotel to present new wireless data hub device at Medica 2010

Aerotel Medical Systems will present a variety of remote monitoring and homecare solutions at Medica 2010, which will take place in Dusseldorf, Germany on November 17-20, 2009 (Hall 9/C01).

Aerotel intends to showcase its new data hub device, Connect-Cell, at Medica, which is the leading international trade fair for the medical industry.  

Connect-Cell can collect various environmental, industrial or personal data for remote monitoring applications. The innovative device has recently won the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Certification.

One of the most advanced applications of the Connect-Cell is as a homecare data hub that enables users to easily transmit vital signs data via the cellular network to a central monitoring center.

The new solution is already deployed in North America by AMC Health (New York), a leading homecare monitoring company that provides remote monitoring services for chronically ill patients belonging to more than 65 diverse health care organizations.

“The ageing population worldwide, along with rise in chronic diseases, creates an acute need to reduce health spending and improve medical services by using new innovative technology products,” said David Rubin, Aerotel Medical Systems President and CEO. “Aerotel homecare and personal health solutions addresses these needs by utilizing existing communications networks for the benefit of both patients and healthcare providers.”

Aerotel to present at Mobile Health Expo 2010 in Las Vegas

Aerotel Medical Systems will showcase innovative mHealth solutions at the Mobile Health Expo, which will take place October 19-21, 2010 in Las Vegas.

Ofer Atzmon, Vice President for Business Development and Marketing at Aerotel, will hold a presentation titled "Health in Action - Case Studies and Future Developments" Atzmon will present mHealth applications in the areas of homecare, chronic patient monitoring, ambulance services and medical alert. The presentation will be held on Tuesday, October 19 at 14:45.

Aerotel has been involved with various successful mHealth projects around the world and the company will show various solutions including wireless handheld ECG devices, wireless-based homecare hubs for chronic patients monitoring, personal wearable mobile alert systems, public mobile telehealth kiosks for use in remote and rural areas and more. Atzmon will also demonstrate some exciting wearable personal mHealth systems that are currently being developed.

Mobile Health Expo is the only event focusing on the convergence of mobile technology and healthcare across the entire mobile health ecosystem, including mHealth, telemedicine, wireless and connected health.

The event will focus on eight market drivers: aging at home, disease management, health inclusion for developed and developing countries, provider education, patient education, healthcare gaming, mobile wallets and benefits.

The 2010 event will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Key note speakers include: Dan Gillison, National Director of Vertical Industry, Healthcare at Sprint ;Scott Ellis, Business Development Manager for telemedicine at T-Mobile; and David Kalb, Director of M2M Business Development at AT&T.

Survey: 88% of US physicians wish patients use mHealth solutions

88 percent of American physicians would like their patients to be able to track and monitor their health at home, according to a recent survey conducted by accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

American doctors said they are particularly interested regular updates on weight, blood sugar levels and vital signs. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of the physicians surveyed said they are using mobile health solutions that aren't connected to their practice or hospital IT systems.

The survey has also indicated that 30% of US consumers are willing to use their smartphone to track and monitor their personal health. The PwC report, entitled Healthcare Unwired, further showed that 40% are willing to pay for a remote monitoring device.

The survey, which is based on 2,000 consumers and 1,000 physicians, indicates that wireless technology, remote monitoring and mobile devices are changing the nature of healthcare and reduce healthcare costs while keeping patients healthier.

PricewaterhouseCoopers' Health Research Institute estimates the annual consumer market for remote and mobile monitoring devices and services to be $7.7 billion to $43 billion, based on the range consumers said they would be willing to pay.

"Remote and mobile technology is making it possible to move healthcare delivery outside the traditional settings of physician offices and hospitals to wherever patients are. It's bringing back the concept of doctors making house calls," said Daniel Garrett, leader of the health information technology practice, PwC.

"New consumer-oriented business models and technologies are emerging. Companies that will be well positioned competitively are those than can integrate mobile health into healthcare delivery and create value in the health system by helping doctors and their patients better manage health and wellness through mass personalization."

Caregivers willing to invest more than patients on home health monitoring

The number of US consumers, who care for an ill family member, that are willing to pay for a home health monitoring service, is 100 percent higher than the number o those willing to pay for the same services for themselves, according to a report by research company Parks Associates.

The report indicates that some 20% of US consumers are willing to pay for remote monitoring service, while only some 10% were willing to spend money for themselves.

The survey, titled Uptake of Personal Health Tools & Services, shows that motivations for adopting home health monitoring include:

• Concerns by caregivers that they will be unable to accurately measure and track their loved one’s vital signs.
• Fear that they will be unable to detect warning signs of health decline.
• Acknowledgment that home monitoring is a good solution.

The report showed that over 70%, of those caring or planning to care for a fragile senior, feared most that the person in their care would take an accidental fall. 

“There is a self-pay market for home health monitoring, but interest is stronger among caregivers than patients,” said Harry Wang, director, Parks Associates’ health research team. “Companies in this market segment should target caregivers and emphasize how these technologies can quell their anxieties and help overcome the immense challenges of caring for a loved one who is sick or infirm.”