With COVID-19 meaning that many hospitals and clinics are inaccessible to patients those on clinical trials, the pharmaceutical industry is having to adapt. Thanks to technological advancements, long-distance patient communications and solutions like Direct-to-Patient logistics offer a number of benefits for patients, sponsors and project teams.
Specialist pharmaceutical logistics firm World Courier provides insights into the benefits and challenges of remote health solutions in today’s world and dissects the growing popularity of Direct-to-Patient logistics. A World Courier webinar will provide more detail about the impact of COVID-19 on the industry and the trends moving forward.
Organizations in the biopharmaceutical industry have always had to quickly adapt to new challenges in the marketplace. As COVID-19 began to move across the globe, it forced companies to rethink their operations, with many rapidly adopting the Direct-to-Patient (DtP) model. This trend within the industry looks set to continue and technology is the key to its success.
Technology: Accelerating Direct-to-Patient Logistics
The implementation of DtP services is gathering pace, extending clinical trials and specialty medicine delivery programs to patients in their homes. A key factor in this uptake is advancement of technology.
Today’s electronic devices are making long-distance patient communications more efficient and effective. These include ECGs, cardiac monitors and pain management systems, as well as the capability to video-conference between physicians and patients or nurses and site staff. Technology is also permitting the real-time relay of information between driver, dispatch and operations, helping to ensure error-free DtP shipments.
In-Home Drug Storage Direct-to-Patient Logistics
For patients located remotely or requiring frequent treatments, storing a significant quantity of medication at the patient’s home is a cost-effective option. Proven benefits include improved patient adherence, a reduction in medication waste, fewer home deliveries and improved nurse access to medication.
Meanwhile, sponsors and project teams retain improved control and oversight of every location, reducing costs, time, errors and drug accountability workloads in the process.
On the nursing side, visit reports are the vital link between the in-home experience and the investigational site. Completed by the nurse at every visit, they allow the site to see exactly what the nurse sees. The form includes such information as vital signs, times of drug administration, adverse reactions, specimen details and other important data.
Telehealth
Due to lockdowns and their unpredictability, patients are unlikely to be able to visit hospitals and clinics in person. More and more appointments are being done online, meaning it’s not just clinical trials that are changing as a result of COVID-19 – the whole health industry is adapting.
However, this new change is not without challenge. Patients reliant on doctors for special procedures are still likely to face long waiting lists. Clinical trial providers are also having to test multiple different technologies that can support their complex data-gathering needs.
Insights from World Courier’s COVID-19 research
To better inform the industry of the changing landscape of COVID-19, World Courier has been researching how organizations have adapted their approach and how they believe practices will change moving forwards.
During the on-demand webinar, World Courier presents the results of this research, with commentary and discussion from the manufacturer perspective. Here’s what you can expect to learn from the session:
• How patients are playing a role in accelerating DtP adoption
• Useful inputs for your COVID-recovery plans and beyond
• Industry confidence regarding restarting delayed clinical trials
• The 5 themes that triggered the shift to DtP
About World Courier
For more than 50 years, World Courier has been at the forefront of innovation in logistics. With world-class supply chain programs, storage of time- and temperature-sensitive products and partnerships with the leading pharmaceutical industries, World Courier creates healthier futures for patients while increasing access to healthcare worldwide.
