As a network of independent associated companies, Mundipharma places patients at the heart of everything they do
Mundipharma’ s foray into healthcare was marked by its inception in Switzerland in 1957. Since then, its patient-centric approach has been supported by innovation, and, enabling scientific breakthroughs that result in better medicines. In addition, its entrepreneurial spirit has enabled the growth and increase in the number of patients. With its regional hub in Dubai and offices in countries across the Middle East and Africa, Mundipharma’ s medicines now touch the lives of patients in 128 countries in six continents. This includes a commitment to providing affordable treatment, and focusing on specialist therapy areas in which they can make the most difference, which includes Analgesia, Oncology, Oncology Supportive Care, Ophthalmology, Respiratory and Consumer Health. Furthermore, they have an ever-increasing portfolio of 38 medicines. Three are on the World Health Organisation’ s List of Critical Medicines, including BETADINE®. Trusted by hospitals, doctors and patients around the world, it has been proven by in-vitro studies to kill viruses associated with diseases including Ebola,1 MERS,2 SARS,3 Influenza viruses 4 and Hand Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD).5 Mundipharma actively works to help prevent the spread of diseases, including donating enough BETADINE® for two million hand washes during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014. Mundipharma’ s R&D is led from research centres in Singapore, UK, Germany, China and Japan. They carry out pre-clinical research, pharmaceutical development, clinical development, drug safety, regulatory affairs, and scientific support of new treatments. Mundipharma leverage a network of world-class manufacturing facilities and medicine supply activities in Europe, Canada, Asia, Middle East, Africa, Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand. The network has nine internal manufacturing/supply locations and benefits from vertical integration. Mundipharma is focused on creating new, transformative ways to help doctors and patients, and developing innovative new medicines to meet future healthcare challenges. They are also working to improve patient access to essential medication, and doctor education, in underdeveloped areas. Therefore, they have launched the First Augmented Reality App to Help Asthma Sufferers ‘ breatheriteTM’ . The innovative digital health initiative developed out of Mundipharma’ s team employs augmented reality to address errors in inhaler use among Asthma sufferers, as part of a new and personalised approach to Asthma management.
This is the latest in a series of digital initiatives Mundipharma has developed to deliver improved patient outcomes for all its therapeutic areas in response to unmet patient and doctor needs. In a 2016 large independent study, “The Systematic Review of Errors in Inhaler use” reviewed 144 articles reporting on a total number of 54,354 subjects were summarised. The study concluded that “Incorrect inhaler technique is unacceptably frequent and has not improved over the past 40 years, pointing to an urgent need for new approaches to education and drug delivery.6”i breatheriteTM, a free app developed by Mundipharma, is the first digital health platform to utilise augmented reality together with a range of smartphone sensors, delivering a personal asthma management solution with a focus on correcting errors in inhaler technique. The app engages the front-facing camera for facial mapping, the accelerometer and gyrometer to track inhaler preparation, the microphone to analyse inhalation and exhalation, along with augmented reality to visualise correct inhaler orientation and head alignment. Together, these features assess, and correct inhaler use as part of a unique interactive experience. It also enables patients to set medication reminders, receive lifestyle tips, real-time weather and air quality information. breatheriteTM also delivers a personal experience by profiling patients based on their attitudes towards Asthma management. Their symptoms and control measures are also tracked within the app. This information can be shared by the patient with their doctors to improve communication and understand the patient’ s condition while also helping to manage the day-to-day treatment of Asthma. Dr. Mohamed Al-Hajjaj is an American and Canadian Board Certified Pulmonologist with many years of clinical experience. Apart from his association with the University Hospital Sharjah (UHS), as a Senior Consultant Pulmonologist, he is the Vice Dean of the College of Medicine, at the University of Sharjah said “Patients still struggle with their inhaler technique, and need to consult and be trained by their doctor or nurse on how to use the device correctly, to guarantee they get the best use out of their prescribed medicine, and that it reaches the airways effectively.”According to a study conducted in the UAE 12-15% of adults across the country suffer from this chronic condition, and one of the biggest issues in the respiratory field is that the asthma control remains suboptimal.7&8 Low levels of Asthma control have been identified to be largely due to incorrect inhaler technique including poor coordination, inadequate speed and depth of inhalation and post-inhalation breath holding. 6Patient problems are compounded when prescribed with multiple inhaler devices, with only an estimated 31%ii of patients performing correct inhaler technique. breatheriteTM is designed to be used with most inhaler types that patients are prescribed. 6“There has been a significant rise in smartphone penetration, due to the shifting trends in various markets which are developing and employing innovation. We have integrated augmented reality into mobile devices to create a sophisticated system which tackles issues patients have endured” says Dr. Ashraf Allam, Vice President of Mundipharma MEA. Mundipharma is also working on solutions for patients and consumers which includes a revolutionary tablet development that uses gamification to teach correct hygiene habits (based on WHO guidelines) to pre-school children. This is designed to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as HFMD. They are also developing a motion sensor-activated animated hand washing game which will feature animated germs that children can see, focused on areas of concern when it comes to washing (between fingers, under nails etc). These are eliminated only when hand washing motion is detected. Localised “jingle”designed to engage children in song and actions and a compliance tracking which will include motion / duration, number of hand washes per student per day, percentage of correct duration of hand washes, a dashboard comparing performance of school vs country average and avoiding any missed areas using color. “This will not only encourage a positive approach to washing for children, but will make it a fun activity for them” says Dr. Ashraf Allam
