UK-based Elucid Digital Health has launched a dashboard function that is automatically created by the dispensing of the pill or tablet through the intelligent Pill - Connect cap which fits on a standard pill bottle.

The patient receives a reminder on their phone when the pill or pills should be taken and then touches the dispense button on the screen. The pill is ejected from the bottle and a signal is sent, via the phone, that the pill has been dispensed.

If the patient does not respond to the alert a reminder text or even a call can be made to prompt them or find out why.

All of this information is collected in real-time and the dashboard can be customised to show specific data that is requested by the CRO, or pharma.

WHY IT MATTERS

The system can also show the patient in graphic form how they are doing and rate them compared to other people in the trial.

The Pill Connect system has been through a number of trials which has shown a 100% reliability both in the cap dispensing and the phone reporting back the data. It is presently undergoing trials with several major pharma companies.

THE LARGER TREND

Patient driven trials can be prone to inaccuracies and mismanagement linked to human error. Unfortunately patients who do not adhere to the agreed regime have been known to mislead the trial monitors which can impact the results of the trial.

Last year, Elucid announced plans to link its Pill Connect device to smart watches and phones, by developing the patented technology to connect a pill bottle directly to a smart watch or phone.

ON THE RECORD

Stuart Young, CEO of Panthera site management organisation said: “Confident tracking and adherence to treatment needs this type of improvement to help ensure that the power of a study is not compromised. Investigators will really like this technology and it is simple to use and understand. We need more technology in research like this which is focused on the patient.”

CEO of Manchester-based Elucid, James Burnstone said: “We have had a lot of interest from some of the largest pharmas and CROs as the device is not only simple and inexpensive, but also provides a great deal of information on the dispensing pattern. If for instance we note that Saturday morning is a problem because the patient is playing sport we can work with the patient to find a solution which fits in with the protocol.”