Molex: digital drug delivery is a reality

Molex and Phillips-Medisize have commissioned Dimensional Research to conduct a Digital Health and the Future of Pharmaceuticals Survey, which shows a positive outlook for the future of digital drug delivery.

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Molex digital health Pixabay

Molex and its medical device delivery division, Phillips-Medisize announced the results of a global survey of pharmaceutical executives evaluating their business strategies, real-life experiences and opinions on the future of digital drug delivery. The results support the growing adoption of digital drug delivery, with a third of respondents already marketing one or more therapies. At the same time, 65% expect the majority of their companies' drug delivery options to be digitised within a decade.

"It is encouraging to see the surge of interest in digitizing drug delivery to improve patient care and produce better outcomes," said Paul Chaffin, President, Medical and Pharmaceutical Solutions, Molex. "The future of the pharmaceutical industry lies in the design and development of patient-centric devices that are easy to use and can seamlessly and securely collect and connect data in order to personalise treatment, while promoting better adherence to the drug protocol."

Molex and Phillips-Medisize have commissioned Dimensional Research to conduct the Digital Health and Future of Pharma Survey in April 2021, interviewing 215 qualified pharmacy professionals representative of a range of roles and regions. All respondents had an interest in a range of digital drug delivery devices designed to deliver a range of patient benefits: dispensing correct dosages, monitoring usage, interfacing with diagnostic devices, and recording and sharing dosage data for electronic health records or patient reference.

Improving patient care

All survey participants identified opportunities to improve patient care. The top five areas with the greatest potential include:

  • customisation of drug administration to address the specific needs and expectations of patients (57%);
  • support for more effective dosing programmes (55%);
  • guaranteeing a more precise dosage (55%);
  • increased adherence to the drug regimen (52%);
  • possibility for patients to take their medication at home instead of at a clinic or hospital (48%).

Comparing the potential benefits of digital drug delivery to traditional methods, 67% of respondents believed that digitised offerings would produce "dramatically" or "significantly" better results for patients. In ranking the top three potential business benefits of using digital drug delivery solutions, decision-makers cited reduced treatment costs through improved adherence (60%), improved efficiency through labour-intensive behavioural support (54%) along with more efficient and scalable means of providing support to patients (53%).

The survey results also revealed a common theme: to improve adherence and improve outcomes, patients must come first, which in turn will reduce healthcare costs.

In terms of the therapeutic areas with the most significant opportunities for digital delivery, respondents cited endocrine/metabolic (64%), respiratory (57%) and inflammatory/immune (52%). However, more than half of the respondents expect digital drug delivery to improve patient outcomes for many types of drugs.

Despite the positive outlook for the future of digital drug delivery, 96% of respondents reported difficulties in adoption, including data protection risks (40%), high costs for devices and connectivity (39%), inadequate patient access to the internet (39%) and regulatory concerns (39%).

Nearly all respondents identified the need for external expertise to meet emerging requirements, including safe and reliable device manufacturing (65%), network and connectivity (58%), data protection and security (52%), user interface and customer experience (50%), feedback loop to suppliers and assistants (47%) and sensing technology integration (42%).


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