TheraSolve NV, a medical technology company, announced patent issuance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for its innovative MemoPatch reminder technology. Specifically designed to support patients with treatment compliance, MemoPatch is a self-adhesive dermal patch that gives patients an automated, discreet yet clear stimulus on the skin when the next dose of medication is needed.
MemoPatch is currently patent protected in the US, EU, Japan, China and India.
Wim De Geest, CEO and co-founder of TheraSolve stated, “The patents we have obtained to date validate MemoPatch as a unique product that can help address compliance issues across myriad, if not all, therapeutic areas. This United States Patent allows protected MemoPatch market entry to a substantial new market segment. We aim to achieve marketing approval in the EU in 2016, FDA approval will be achieved subsequently. In the near-term, we will initiate studies with MemoPatch in specific clinical settings to demonstrate the effect of this device on medication adherence.”
MemoPatch technology consists of a new generation of self-adhesive and fully automated dermal patches which give patients a stimulus on the skin when it is time to take a next dose of medication. The patch has the potential to encompass various medication delivery forms and regimens including pills, inhalers, eye drops, ointments, injections and even to be combined or integrated with transdermal drug patches. The objective of the product is to help patients in the simplest, most discreet, user-friendly and, most of all, reliable way to successfully adhere to their medication regimens over a longer period of time, anywhere and anytime, regardless of the location or activity of the user.
The effectiveness of any medical treatment or therapy is dependent on patients accurately adhering to dosing schedules and therapy compliance has a large impact on the overall treatment outcome. Several factors can contribute to a lack of therapy adherence, but most often, despite the many reminder systems currently available, patients simply forget to take their medication. An extensive review conducted by the World Health Organisation (Adherence to long-term therapies, Evidence for Action, WHO 2003) concluded that improved therapy adherence has a much larger impact on overall global health than any other improvement of a specific medical treatment. A Harris Interactive survey in the US (WSJ Health Industry Edition, HI 2005) showed that in 64 per cent of the cases reviewed, forgetfulness is the major reason for therapy non-adherence. Current tools to help improve therapy adherence for prescribed medication, and more specifically in the cases where non-adherence is a matter of forgetfulness, have clear disadvantages including their size, complexity of use, impact on patient privacy and relatively limited effectiveness.