PharmaVOICE: Senior Director of Commercial Strategy and Innovation at Cadient, a Cognizant Company, Says mHealth can be Used in any Clinical Trial Where Adherence and Communication Hurdles Exist

Given the scope and challenges of clinical trials, it’s not at all surprising that study teams across a wide range of disease categories are turning to mHealth solutions to help them recruit patients and monitor and measure results, says Ken Fabianovicz.

“For example, we’ve seen the promising use of mobile in respiratory trials with smart inhalers and in schizophrenia with Proteus technology,” he says. “In fact, mHealth can be used in just about any trial where adherence and communication hurdles exist.”

Fabianovicz says these solutions not only help study sponsors, but subjects as well, allowing them to be more connected than ever before to their clinical teams.

It’s much easier for study participants to get answers if they have the ability to ask questions 24/7, he says.

“Like any other technology, mHealth by itself is not a panacea that will remove all the challenges surrounding running a successful trial,” he says. “The fundamentals still need to be followed and teams need to make the study design and protocol clear for both HCPs and participants. No amount of mHealth gadgetry can overcome a confusing and poorly conceived study.

“Looking ahead, if sponsors can collect even more data in real-time using mHealth technology, it will create significant efficiencies — both time and cost — that will help shorten timelines, and will improve subject/patient satisfaction, thereby improving retention, and future recruitment,” he concludes.

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