Everyone sometimes forgets to take their medicine, but each person does so in their own way. This is the idea underlying the technology developed by Israeli company Vaica for preventing patients from forgetting to take their medicine.
Several companies are currently addressing this problem, including Israeli company Medisafe, but Vaica is seeking to differentiate itself as a company that provides solutions individually adapted to the patient and the drug. The company has cooperation agreements with several medical call center companies, and last week announced the signing of another agreement with medical call centers company STAAR Alert. Vaica has been operating on a new business model for several years, in which it cooperates directly with drug companies.
Vaica was founded by CEO Tomer Gofer, Dr. Batami Sadan, Dr. Gilead Asseo and Michael Cohen Alloro.
Patients forgetting to take their medicine costs US health system an estimated $200 billion annually
Gofer previously worked at MDG Medical, which dealt with preventing errors in administering medication at hospitals. He says that he discovered there that patients not taking their medicine is an enormous problem costing the US health system $200 billion a year. "Patients take only 50% of the medicine prescribed for them. It's amazing," he says. "The biggest surprise was that we're not talking about elderly people forgetting to take medicine because of memory problems. That's not the problem," he says.
The problem has many causes: a busy schedule among working age people taking medicine, a psychological block against taking drugs or being identified as "ill," lack of confidence in the product, misunderstanding of the importance of taking medicine on time, a dislike for taking medicine when others are present, self-destructive impulses, lack of clarity about how to take the medicine, and dislike of the side effects and having to deal with drugs. Nevertheless, if patients are reminded to take their medicine and convincing explanations are provided, most of them will take it.
"Sending an SMS every time they should take medicine doesn't work," Gofer explains. "The fifth time that the phone beeps, they'll turn it off for good." According to the company's approach, since the reasons for not taking the medicine are diverse, products tailored to specific groups are required. The company's first product is a tray on which the medicine is divided in advance according to days and hours. When the time comes to take the medicine, the device gently flashes. A sound is emitted only if the tray is not opened and the patient is elderly. Young patients get an SMS. If the patient is geriatric, the SMS will be sent to the carer.
The way the device responds also depends on the drug itself. If the drug is critical, the patient may get a telephone call from a nurse or doctor.
What is new about the system is that notice about the medicine is on the tray, but management of the event is on the cloud belonging to the medical call center, which provides flexibility.
"Globes": Who pays for this service?
Gofer: "Payment is part of the payment to the medical call center. In our newer business model, we cooperate with drug companies concerning their specialty medicines. Because these drugs are expensive and important to the patients' health, a support program funded by the drug company has been developed for them."
Several months ago, the company launched a product specifically designed for this market that includes a built-in screen displaying a demonstration video clip on how to use the drug. Pressing a button puts the patient in touch with a nurse and gives him or her messages from the doctor between meetings. "Drug companies are investing enormous amounts in making training films, but these appear on their website, and patients don't enter the websites to watch the films," Gofer says.
According to studies by the company, its product significantly improved the taking of medicine and reduced hospitalization days for mitral insufficiency patients, for example. The company is currently conducting clinical trials in 16 hospitals.
Published by Globes [online], Israel Business News - www.globes-online.com - on February 20, 2018
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