Yesterday GSK announced the forthcoming launch of CancerTrialsApp – touted as “the first free geolocating cancer clinical trials application” for the iPhone and iPad. Last week Pfizer also announced they are developing an app that allows easy communication between the company and healthcare professionals. So how might these examples encourage cautious and/or unconvinced pharma execs of the value of apps?
Firstly, the concept of apps is here to stay, no question. Over a nine month period, there were 1 billion app downloads through iTunes. 2 million iPads have been sold in the first two months following launch in the US alone. Yes, the NHS has limited resources and healthcare professionals are unable to get free iPhones, iPads and smart phones from their employer, but an increasing number will have them for personal use, and also use them for work. In other words, there is a huge potential for pharma to begin to develop apps – it’s not going away any time soon.
Secondly, developing apps does not have to be expensive, nor does it need to have absolutely mind-blowing revolutionary functionality. Apps can just be another highly effective way to communicate to healthcare professionals, and potentially patients when it comes to health awareness campaigns and other non-branded activities.
Pfizer is collaborating with Epocrates, who are creating a drug reference app. Clinicians will be able to report adverse events related to the drugs referenced in the app directly to Pfizer. Drugs information is also provided on the app with the aim of ‘enhancing the safe and effective use’ of Pfizer medicines. Other companies will follow, which means ultimately we could be in a place where apps enable doctors to ask questions to pharma companies about their drugs and receive prompt responses. This kind of ‘value added’ service could improve treatment outcomes and from a company perspective, will do great things for customer relationships (if managed well).
The GSK app is slightly more specialist. MedTrust Online, the company they are working with to develop the app, provide specialist data and technology to oncologists. According to a useful Pharma Times article , “the application enables cancer doctors to find and share experimental therapies in clinical trials. It includes a quick search menu based on 12 common cancers as well as more advanced features that refine searches based on criteria such as gender, age or trial status.”
The principles of the oncology app could be applied elsewhere. How many apps cater for specialties in medicine and facilitate peer-to-peer communication and collaboration? There is scope for a lot more of this. There is also huge potential for patient-support apps, and regularly updated patient resource apps.
These first two pharma apps will hopefully give us a clue of the shape of things to come, and help to get the ball rolling.
Tags: apps, CancerTrialsApp, Epocrates, GSK, iPad, iPhone, MedTrust Online, NHS, Pfizer