REDWOOD CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS
WIRE)–UK community pharmacy chain Lloydspharmacy and US company Proteus
Biomedical, Inc., a pioneer in digital health, have today announced an
exclusive strategic collaboration to commercialize and launch Helius™, a
digital health product focused on consumers and family caregivers. Helius has
been designed to provide assurance and peace of mind to individuals struggling
with complex medication regimens and health issues, and to connect these
individuals to the family, friends and professionals caring for them. As part
of the agreement with Proteus, Lloydspharmacy will launch Helius in the UK and sell the
system through selected pharmacies. Helius will be paid for by consumers and
their families.
Combining sensor-enabled tablets, a sensor patch worn on the
body, an advanced mobile health (mHealth) application and information service,
and Lloydspharmacys current medication adherence packaging, Helius allows
consumers to remain independent in their own homes and their loved ones to help
take care of them. Helius helps to monitor when medications have been taken
along with a range of additional patient information including sleep patterns
and physical activity. These metrics are then combined to provide useful
information to allow the patient, carer or family member to follow progress and
collaborate on maintaining patient wellness.
The World Health Organisation estimates 50% of patients fail
to take their medicines correctly¹. This can result in patients not gaining the
full benefit of their treatment, or worse, being at risk of harmful reactions.
Unused prescription medicine is also estimated to cost the NHS in the UK around £396
million² a year.
Commenting on the new partnership, Andrew Thompson, Chief
Executive Officer at Proteus, said: “We are delighted to be working with
Lloydspharmacy to launch Helius in the UK. Proteus and Lloydspharmacy share
a common vision of how advancements in technology can be captured to improve
the well being of patients struggling with complex medication regimes and
health issues. The intimate knowledge that Lloydspharmacys healthcare teams
have of their communities, patients and families makes the company a perfect
partner with which to introduce a patient-focused service like Helius.”
Steve Gray, Lloydspharmacy Healthcare Services Director,
added: “Lloydspharmacy is committed to improving positive health outcomes for
patients and the Helius system is an exciting development which takes our
current medication adherence offering to a whole new level. There is a huge
problem with medicines not being taken correctly. Anyone taking several
medications knows how easy it can be to lose track of whether or not youve
taken the correct tablets that day. Add to that complex health issues and
families caring for loved ones who may not live with them and you can
appreciate the benefits of an information service that helps patients get the
most from their treatments and for families to help them remain well.”
1. World Health Organisation http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs338/en/index.html
2. Source: A report by the York Health Economics Consortium
and the School of Pharmacy at the University
of London in 2010, which showed unused
prescription medicines cost the NHS in England at least £300 million with
at least 50 per cent avoidable. Unused medicines in Scotland cost £46million
(source: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/919/0102128.pdf)
and in Wales cost £50million (source: http://www.publicfinance.co.uk/news/2010/09/wales-aims-to-cut-the-50m-spent-on-unused-medicines/)
About Proteus Biomedical, Inc.
Proteus Biomedical is pioneering digital health care, an emerging field of advanced
therapies that integrate in-body and on-body sensor and mobile communications
technologies into existing pharmaceutical, medical device and consumer
products. Proteus is developing and commercializing a range of digital health
care products in partnership with global leaders from multiple industries,
including Novartis, Medtronic,
ON Semiconductor, Kaiser
Permanente and Lloydspharmacy. Proteus is also establishing digital health
technology standards by non-exclusively licensing aspects of its platform to an
ecosystem of partners that embed Proteus innovations into their own branded
products, including Avery Dennison and BodyMedia for the Metria™ line of
wearable sensor products. More information about Proteus Biomedical can be
found at www.proteusbiomed.com.
About Lloydspharmacy
Lloydspharmacy has over 1640 pharmacies across the UK. These are based predominantly
in community and health centre locations. The company employs over 17,000 staff
and dispenses over 150 million prescription items annually.
Lloydspharmacy which is a community pharmacy has primary
care at the heart of its business. This is why it has launched a range of
products aimed at improving community health such as affordable blood pressure
monitors and allergy relievers, as well as a suite of convenient professional
health check services including free blood pressure and diabetes testing, and
cholesterol and heart checks in the comfort of a private consultation room.
Lloydspharmacy is the trading name of Lloydspharmacy Ltd, a
wholly owned subsidiary of Celesio AG based in Stuttgart.
Celesio is one of the leading international service
providers within the pharmaceutical and healthcare markets. It is active in 27
countries worldwide and employs approximately 47,000 employees in our three
divisions Patient and Consumer Solutions, Pharmacy Solutions and Manufacturer
Solutions.
Just under 2,300 of Celesios own retail pharmacies, as part
of Patient and Consumer Solutions, serve over 550,000 customers every day. In
its wholesale activities, the core business of Pharmacy Solutions, more than
130 wholesale branches deliver to around 65,000 pharmacies – day in, day out.
In the Manufacturer Solutions division, it offers pharmaceutical manufacturers
logistics, marketing and sales solutions and operate in the area of Efficient
Care Pharma.
Posted by Sean Fenske, Editor-in-Chief, MDT
