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MedTech Outlook | Monday, June 03, 2024
Innovators should consider patient needs when designing a novel medicine. To reduce non-adherence, administration methods must be effective and productive, and patients should be safeguarded from any physical or psychological effects as much as feasible.
Fremont, CA: The aging population and rise in chronic diseases have created an increasing demand for novel technology to promote drug adherence. With patients' health at stake, developing drug delivery technologies that can help increase adherence is critical. Recent advancements include the employment of microrobots with claw mechanisms to improve IV drug administration and a self-powered, bioresorbable implant for pain management. Such technologies have enormous potential for patients; they lessen the burden of self-administering medications and make treatments more targeted and effective.
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Bespoke software can benefit patients, particularly children and the elderly, where non-adherence is most common. Non-adherence among children, for example, is sometimes linked to parental concerns about the adverse impacts of a specific treatment or the child's lack of engagement in any therapeutic decision-making. Non-adherence among senior people is sometimes caused by the need to juggle several drugs to manage multiple health concerns or by living alone without a family member or caregiver to assist with drug administration.
Other reasons affecting adherence include a lack of consistency between prescription and administration instructions on pharmaceutical packaging, which causes the patient to second-guess the dose. Another factor is the delayed benefit of treatment, which increases the risk that patients would cease or avoid taking their prescriptions entirely. SSRI antidepressants are a prominent example, with apparent benefits taking up to four weeks to manifest - a significant disadvantage for people who have mental illnesses and seek urgent relief. Treatment side effects can also contribute to noncompliance, particularly when severe or outweigh the benefits.
It is commonly recognized that fighting non-adherence would necessitate the development of more effective drug delivery technologies. It has already been demonstrated that changing treatment delivery modalities improves patient outcomes significantly. Glucose-responsive insulin patches have transformed the regulation of glucose levels in people with diabetes, minimizing the need for injections. Patients can also use software to monitor their blood glucose levels, follow their diet and exercise regimes, and gain insight into their overall health. As a genuine, individualized source of information, these technologies enable patients to take an active role in controlling their diseases, making therapy easier and more predictable.
One of the most significant areas of technology innovation is focused on changing how cancer therapies are delivered to enhance patient outcomes. Over the last two decades, considerable progress has been made in tailoring chemotherapy to increase success rates while reducing adverse effects. Nanomedicine has been at the forefront, allowing for more accurate delivery of chemotherapy to decrease damage to the body's healthy cells. The University of Queensland recently produced a silica nanoparticle that accelerates the transfer of the chemo drug temozolomide across the blood-brain barrier. As a result, an aggressive type of brain tumor known as glioblastoma can be penetrated more quickly, allowing for more targeted treatment.
Innovators should consider patient needs when designing a novel medicine. To reduce non-adherence, administration methods must be effective and productive, and patients should be safeguarded from any physical or psychological effects as much as feasible. Securing a patent early on for an innovative administration technique is critical to obtaining the financing required to conduct costly clinical trials. Given how long it takes to perform the requisite assessment of a new therapy or delivery system, beginning the patent procedure early will help accelerate the market path.
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