Industry Case Study | Connected Electronic Injectors at Merck - Insights After More Than 10 years of Use
Information
More than 10 years ago, Merck launched on the market two electronic injectors for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and growth hormone. A couple of years afterwards, these devices were associated with software platforms. Over the years, Merck has kept on demonstrating the value and benefits that can be achieved through digital solutions in the world of drug delivery devices.
In this presentation, I will describe how digital solutions & connected medical devices have been developed at Merck, the challenges associated to their design, development and launch in multiple countries as well as the multiple regulatory constraints applicable to these solutions, in particular in the context of the MDR transition. I will present the large benefits that HCPs, patients and the pharmaceutical companies can expect from the use of digital solutions and connected devices, based on Merck’s examples.
Through our connected devices, we capture real-world objective data on the adherence and behavior of patients. This data can then be visualized through our digital solutions by HCPs so that they can better understand each patient’s experience and adjust the treatment regimen accordingly.
We have also introduced patient facing digital applications, so that our patients and their caregivers can also access the data captured from their connected devices. We are also providing the patients with relevant educational and motivational content, with the aim to improve the patient’s engagement with their treatment.
By carefully monitoring and analyzing the data captured by our connected devices and digital solutions, our pharmaceutical company can better understand the users of solutions. We then gather meaningful insights about features that work well as well as the ones the need improvement. This helps us to continuously refine our products in order to provide a more personalized experience for the HCPs and patients and in-turn lead to better treatment outcomes.
