Philips to launch medication adherence monitoring device in U.S., Europe before year end

Medido medication dispenser--Courtesy of Philips

Royal Philips ($PHG) has released positive data on its connected medication dispenser Medido from an almost 1,400-patient study in the Netherlands. It found that adherence rate was dramatically improved and remained consistent over a year in chronic disease patients who take medications thrice daily on average.

The Dutch company is slated to launch the device in the U.S. and other European countries later this year. The news follows a beta launch disclosed by Philips earlier this week in partnership with remote care provider Right at Home of its at-home senior sensor-based monitoring system that aims to anticipate potential problems based on finding alterations in basic routines.

For the last few years, the company has been intent on recreating itself as a "HealthTech" player--combining its strengths in existing healthcare and consumer businesses. Philips already has its long-standing Lifeline senior emergency wearable business that it can build upon to reach out to elderly patients. Last August, it rolled out analytics tied to Lifeline to predict which at-risk patients would need emergency transport in the next 30 days based on activity and fall data.

"Proper medication adherence is such a crucial part to managing a chronic illness, and yet the more complicated a patient's care plan, the harder it can be to keep track of pills, doses, and the times they need to take their medication," said Philips SVP and GM of Home Monitoring Kimberly O'Loughlin in a statement.

The study tracked 881,000 medication doses over 1,379 patients for a year in the Netherlands who took an average of three doses per day. Patients with two or more medication doses per day had an adherence rate of about 94% with Medido. And medication adherence remained consistent over the entire yearlong study, showing no erosion over time.

Overall, 96% of patients using Medido met the medication adherence rate target from the World Health Organization of 80%. In contrast, other studies have found that about half of chronic disease patients do not adhere to long-term therapy recommendations.

The use of this sort of medication adherence technology could have a significant economic impact. Philips estimates based on data from earlier studies that cost savings of up to 40% per patient can be reached in specific groups with the use of connected medication dispensing.

The device is a small box that sits on a countertop. When the medication time arrives, the dispenser reminds the patient and releases the correct medication at the right time. It monitors removal of the medication from the dispenser and alerts nursing staff when medication is not removed.

"By providing patients and caregivers with a solution that simplifies this part of the care process, they're able to feel more independent and secure in their care, and feel more confident aging in the comfort of their own homes," summed up O'Loughlin.

- here is the statement