PharmaSecure advances to phase two of “Grand Challenges in TB Control” grant program in India, sponsored by The Gates Foundation and USAID
Transforming healthcare delivery in emerging markets by tracking the distribution of medicines and understanding the behavior and outcomes of the patients who use them
New Delhi, India (August 10, 2015) - PharmaSecure, a leading global provider of brand protection and customer engagement solutions, has been one of four organizations selected to advance to phase two of the “Grand Challenges in TB Control” grant program, sponsored by the Gates Foundation and USAID, to find novel solutions to improve the health outcomes of patients with Tuberculosis (TB). Results from the first phase of the program in India showed that patients who were enrolled in PharmaSecure's psConnect™ patient management platform had a 60% increase in reported adherence to the TB drug regimen over non-enrolled patients.
In phase one of the program, PharmaSecure enrolled patients in their psConnect™ patient management and engagement platform to help TB patients complete their treatment regimen using customized reminders and incentives. Those patients who were enrolled in PharmaSecure's psConnect™ patient management platform received either a reminder SMS, automated phone calls, or a direct call from a PharmaSecure patient liaison.
A typical TB treatment regimen requires daily doses of antibiotics for 3-9 months and even one missed dose results in the treatment needing to be started over, risking lives and wasting public health funding. TB is second only to HIV/AIDS as the greatest killer worldwide due to a single infectious agent. In 2013, 9 million people fell ill with TB and 1.5 million died from the disease according to the World Health Organization. In India alone there were over 2 million incidences of TB in 2013 and an estimated 40% of the population is infected with TB bacteria, the vast majority of which is latent rather than active TB.
Phase two of the program will involve expanding to further geographies within India including Delhi, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, as well as expanding the scope of the program to not only understand the impact on patient adherence, but also the drivers of adherence. Some of these drivers include the circumstances that a patient finds themselves in (e.g., no access to running water) and the challenges they face in adhering to treatment (e.g., lack of time).
About PharmaSecure
PharmaSecure was founded in the United States in 2007 with a vision to protect medicines against counterfeiting by uniquely identifying each medicine pack sold. PharmaSecure and ProductSecure mobile technology solutions protect products across industries from counterfeiting while providing intelligence on their distribution, use in emerging markets, and improving engagement with consumers of those products. To date, PharmaSecure has protected over 1.5 billion packages for 50 companies through serialization for brand protection, regulatory compliance, patient engagement and market intelligence.
About “Grand Challenges in TB Control” Program
Grand Challenges in TB Control (GC-TBC) is an initiative to encourage and nurture innovations that will help alleviate the problem of TB in India. IKP Knowledge Park (IKP), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) are working together to identify, fund, and nurture technology driven solutions that will assist TB control.
Source: PharmaSecure
