PHARMACEUTICAL TRENDS
Nilesh Shah, Vice President and General Manager of Emerging Markets, West Pharmaceutical Services
In this interview, Nilesh Shah shares his insights into the shift for more hospital to home treatment options for chronic conditions, and how health care providers and pharmaceutical companies can collaborate to address any potential gaps to enhance patient care at home.
1. In your opinion, what are some factors that have shifted the consumer preference towards home-based treatments for chronic conditions?
Looking at the global healthcare landscape there is a clear drive from hospital to home. The home-based healthcare market is expanding, driven by patient demand for more convenient treatment options. Patients are interested in using advanced technologies like self-injectable drugs and on-body drug delivery systems (OBDS)– and are even excited about the convenience and autonomy they could gain by administering the medications themselves rather than having to travel to a doctor’s office or infusion centre.
Pharmaceutical innovations have significantly improved the treatment of many diseases, including cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. By attacking the root biological underpinnings of disease, these treatments have greatly improved the prognosis for patients, bringing symptoms well under control, and in some cases, extending lives. But patients often must travel to hospitals or clinics to have these medications infused intravenously or injected by health care providers (HCPs) an onerous process that can be time-consuming, costly, and inconvenient. That’s why both patients and HCPs express a strong need for alternative ways of receiving these medicines.
Among the most innovative drug-delivery options are self- administered injectable medicines and OBDS. These technologies enable patients to administer the medicines they need themselves, whether they’re at home, work or on vacation.
For a patient suffering from chronic conditions, home-based treatments offer comfort and familiarity that hospital or institutional treatments often cannot provide. This is a very personal decision that some patients may make, in hopes that they can feel more comfortable at home, and in turn, develop a better mental outlook outside of stressful hospital settings. For some patients, they may also enjoy a faster recovery trajectory in a comfortable, familiar place.
Thanks to the advancement of pharmaceutical technologies, over the years, there have been a number of improvements in therapies and medications that can be self-administered by a caregiver at home or even the patient themselves. Sometimes, these technologies also come at a lower cost than in the hospitals, which is a key driver of this trend.
For example, glucose monitoring devices for chronic diabetes patients have improved to offer real-time measurements in continuous glucose monitoring devices that can be worn for longer time periods through a sensor under the skin. This sensor transmits real-time data to a handheld monitor, reducing the chances of long-term complications associated with diabetes. These reduce any need for the traditional prick of the finger to draw blood or for patients to seek out hospital or out-of-home support to help manage their blood sugar levels.
This greater access to devices and quality treatments at home developed by pharma companies have thus empowered more patients to select home-based care for chronic conditions.
2. What role does technology play in enabling this transition from hospital to home in patient care?
From providing new systems to track medication and health statuses to establishing a direct line to hospital systems in case of emergencies, technology has played a pivotal role in enabling this transition from hospital to home. Simultaneously, finding effective ways to deliver new technologies to patients is equally important to innovating them. For example, hospitals must have access to these tools to supply them to patients going home and have adequately trained staff to teach patients and their caregivers on using them. User-friendly interfaces and other technical integrations with existing healthcare systems must also be applied.
Our industry is getting increasingly more sophisticated with new technology and connected medical devices. This requires leadership that dares to be different and building innovation around these unmet needs. This means leaders who dare to challenge the norms and are unafraid of pushing for more patients to be able to access what they need through partnerships and collaborations.
Aside from the technologies that drive the innovation behind medical devices and therapies, technology has allowed for the rise of telemedicine where patients can seek medical help from home through virtual check-ups and consultations. These devices are also able to connect to one’s smartwatch and health apps, helping patients track their progress and care. Furthermore, they act as medication management systems to ensure that one takes their medication on time.
There are also other forms of technology that can be tapped into by doctors and medical officers to help analyse patient data, even while they are home. Any needed intervention is then quickly flagged.
COVID-19 highlighted many benefits of home-based healthcare, as well as the growing pressures on our global healthcare systems for adaptability to changes. Technologies such as smart pill containers and wearable sensors quickly became a lever that allowed more patients to lean into taking care of themselves at home.
Of course, the effectiveness of technology in patient care still remains dependent on patients’ acceptance and comfort with these tools, as well as the integration with local healthcare data and systems. If patients can trust technology and use its integrations properly, it can help bring them closer to being in touch with their health rather than just a tool that operates independently without patient interaction.
3. Where do pharmaceutical companies come into the picture when it comes to ensuring the effectiveness of homebased healthcare?
There is little doubt that home-based healthcare depends very greatly on pharmaceutical companies. From the development of the medication itself to the packaging and development of medical devices, pharmaceutical companies, and their packaging partners can contribute greatly to both medical professionals in their work and the care and quality of life for patients that medical professionals serve.
Most pharmaceutical companies are in the drug development space, where active and robust research is accompanied by the formulation of medications that can be safely and effectively administered at home. These companies typically work closely with medical professionals and pharmaceutical packaging companies to ensure the effectiveness and safety of the treatments.
For home-based healthcare especially, the key lies in being able to deliver medicine easily and with as little safety risk for the patient as possible. Hence, it is also the responsibility of pharmaceutical companies to be on top of global, regional, and local legislation and regulatory requirements that ensure the safety of the treatments and therapies to be used at home.
A great pharmaceutical firm, no matter where they sit in the drug development supply chain, would take extra care to ensure that the development process and packaging are well documented and assured to protect the sterile drug quality and patient safety. It is only when a pharmaceutical firm recognises its integral role in enabling better patient safety at home, with devoted resources and time towards strict adherence to compliance rules, can home-based healthcare truly be effective and useful for all patients.
4. What are the gaps for patient care from hospital to home?
From hospital to home, there are differences in patient care, especially in the pharmaceutical aspect.
Knowledge on administering medication is one of the major gaps wherein patients or their caregivers at home now have to learn new medication regimes and applications, which, in a hospital setting, would be managed by trained medical professionals. Thus, patients and caregivers have to invest the time and resources needed to learn to administer the treatments and prepare their home environment accordingly.
For patients, relevant device support or follow-up care schedules are needed to accompany the initial transition from hospital to home. The preparation work before the transition from hospital to home is also another gap to fill, ahead of an effective home-based treatment.
The good news is that resources and efforts from medical officers and pharmaceutical companies to help patients fill in these gaps continue to evolve. Examples of these resources include detailed notes, webinars, workshops and more on home-based medication, as well as built-in applications, platforms to track progress or medication dosage, and open communication lines to support patients at home. Given how the home-based healthcare market in Asia Pacific is due to grow at a CAGR of 11.48% from now until 20291, we can expect more of these investments and resources to be available for patients.
5. How can healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies collaborate to address these gaps?
To best serve patients around the world – whether they are in hospital or now, increasingly at home, healthcare providers must work closely with pharmaceutical companies to develop solutions to meet patient needs. The solutions will vary according to each patient, depending on their comfortability using self-administration, their age range, and where they live. Knowing that the relationships with healthcare providers and health care practitioners is critical, we have to make sure that providers are aware of the concerns of their patients.
Essentially, a close partnership between healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies can develop a strong feedback loop that spurs greater innovation for patients, and improves their outcomes transitioning from hospital to home. All of us in the industry must be open to sharing our knowledge to help ensure every patient is able to receive the best quality care they require.
It’s critical that we all work together to ensure that the patients who could most benefit from these technologies have all the resources they need to get comfortable with using them. In addition, given the significant interest from patients and providers in self-administration methods for managing chronic conditions, industry leaders and research groups have a prime opportunity to conduct research. Evaluating the potential of these technologies to advance healthcare access, reduce health disparities, and improve chronic disease management is essential. Documenting their impact will be a pivotal step toward their broader adoption and the optimisation of these innovative solutions.
Reference:
1. https://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/asia-pacific-home-healthcare-market
Author Bio
Overseeing the Asia Pacific and South America regions, Nilesh is responsible for growing the West's presence and leadership in emerging markets. He joined West in 2023 with more than 25 years in the medical devices industry and global experience while residing in the USA, Europe and most recently in Singapore.
