RDD Europe 2017 focused on new technology

Several speakers in the session raised the question of how to handle the streams of data generated by connected devices, with Costello and Sutherland emphasizing the benefit of accurate data in allowing clinicians to properly assess patient adherence, while Pinnock, a clinician herself, emphasized that clinicians do not want to be inundated with data. Chan described the use of Apple’s Research Kit to both recruit massive numbers of enrollees in the Asthma Mobile Health Study – over 7,000 participants in the US alone – and to manage and analyze the enormous volumes of data generated.

The need to manage huge streams of data also came up in a talk by Professor Ashley Woodcock of the University of Manchester titled “The Salford Lung Study: Rethinking Clinical Trials by Assessing Effectiveness in Clinical Practice” during the meeting’s first session. In his presentation, Prof. Woodcock discussed the role of electronic medical records in the “real world” effectiveness study of Relvar Ellipta conducted by GSK in the city of Salford, UK. While the devices used in the study were not connected, managing the data from the thousands of patients enrolled in the study was the most difficult part, he said, and the study utilized linked health record systems across hospitals, clinicians, and pharmacies.

A number of the workshops offered on the afternoon of the first day also centered on connected devices, including”The New Future – Introducing the Next Generation pMDI” from 3M Drug Delivery Systems; “Using Connected pMDIs to Monitor Inhaler Use and Drive Better Quality of Care” from Aptar Pharma and Propeller Health; “Realizing the Benefits of Connected Health in Respiratory Drug Delivery” from Phillips-Medisize; and “Smart Inhalers of the Future” from H&T Presspart and Cohero Health.

In the exhibition, the majority of the device companies present displayed connected devices, whether recently launched such as H&T Presspart’s eMDI and 3M Drug Delivery System’s Intelligent Control Inhaler, or prototypes such as Aptar Pharma’s range of devices that connect to the Propeller Health monitoring platform via Bluetooth and HC Medi’s breath activated version of the Deepro nebulizer.