Finnish digital health startup Popit and Almirall, a global biopharmaceutical company focused on skin health are collaborating on a support tool for patients with psoriasis.

The solution consists of Popit’s consumer smart device that automatically tracks when medication is taken and reminds patients if a dose has been missed via an accompanying app. It uses a unique piece of hardware which the user clips onto a medication blister.

Patients also receive support messages and psoriasis content tailored specifically for them.

The tool is available for patients using Almirall’s Skilarence medication, which is used to treat moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. It is being rolled out first to patients in The Netherlands.

WHY IT MATTERS

Psoriasis is a chronic, non-contagious skin disease with symptoms including clearly defined red patches (known as plaques), scaly skin and often itching. It is estimated that 125 million people worldwide, or 2 to 3% of the population are affected.

The condition has a profound impact on patients with nearly 60% reporting their disease to be a large problem in everyday life.

Popit helps patients stay on track with the Skilarence treatment and has been clinically validated to significantly reduce missed doses.

THE LARGER CONTEXT

Since its launch in 2017, Popit has also collaborated with pharma giants Pfizer and Novartis to provide its medication adherence solution. 

Meanwhile, UK-based Elucid Digital Health has launched a solution to aid adherence in clinical trials that automatically dispenses medication through its intelligent Pill - Connect cap, which fits on a standard pill bottle.

Patients receive a reminder on their phone when the medication should be taken and can dispense pills by touching a button on the screen. The system is undergoing trials with several pharma companies.                                          

ON THE RECORD

Francesca Wuttke, chief digital officer at Almirall, said: “We are pleased to be collaborating with Popit to bring novel adherence and engagement solutions to patients with psoriasis. As a result of this partnership we are able to provide a new patient experience through digital psoriasis treatment to inform, educate, manage expectations, and motivate our patients.

“Making our medicines connected is a huge leap for patients and the industry and we’re excited to be doing it with Popit”.                           

Teemu Piirainen, Popit’s CEO said: “There is a great need to improve medication adherence and patient support in psoriasis care. Popit can really help in this by tackling some of the most common causes for why doses are missed, which include forgetting the daily doses and insufficient awareness of how missed doses impact treatment outcomes.

“Additionally, the patient might face quite practical challenges with their treatment, like up-titration or predetermined changes in product strength, which may not always be easy to master. Popit supports the patient with these challenges.”