From ‘wearables to ther-ables’

Unit shipments for wearable devices were expected to drive about $32 billion in revenue by 2019 — more than three times the $10 billion in revenue the market saw in 2013, according to a 2015 IHS Technology white paper on the wearables market. Beside the business applications IHS identified, it also focused on consumer possibilities in the wearables market — as fitness trackers, health data collectors and beyond.  

The potential that IHS identified is something that entrepreneurs are currently working on tapping into, and industry observers have taken note of the evolving role of wearables. Most notably, at the end of 2015, Fortune predicted that 2016 would be the year conventional thinking around wearable technology would change. The magazine predicted that this year “‘wearables’ will become ‘ther-ables.’” That is, wearables would evolve from simply tracking wellness data to actively working to keep users well.

The next generation of wearables, unlike those designed to track steps and monitor sleep — whether sold by Jawbone, Fitbit or Apple — is working to provide therapeutic value to users. Drug Store News found three companies that are at the forefront of revising what wearables can do, and how they can help users with chronic pain, those looking to quit smoking and those whose maintenance medications could use an upgrade.



Quell

Much of the buzz coming out of the annual South by Southwest festival has to do with the festival’s music and film components, but for 17 years, SXSW Interactive has celebrated innovation in various fields, including wearable technology. This year, the Waltham, Mass.-based NeuroMetrix won the top award in that category for its Quell Wearable Pain Relief Technology.

The $249 device — which sells on Quell’s website, Amazon, and hit Target.com and about 500 stores in mid-April — is worn around the calf and uses electrodes to stimulate sensory nerves, which send neural pulses to the brain, triggering a pain-relief response. Unlike TENS devices, Quell uses a different type of nerve stimulation to deliver what the company says is more powerful pain relief that customizes itself to the user through Quell’s OptiTherapy. Quell is approved by the Food and Drug Administration with indications for temporary pain relief, and management and relief of chronic pain. In clinical trials, the company has seen 81% of participants report an improvement in pain.

NeuroMetrix SVP and general manager of consumer health Frank McGillin said Quell is aimed at providing a service to a population that hasn’t been served by the current crop of wearable products.

“Today, in terms of a serious therapeutic wearable device for chronic pain, we’re pretty unique,” McGillin said. “There’s been an adoption of fitness trackers … and obviously rapid growth of those primarily around the worried well — they’re either active people trying to be even more active or they’re focused on their health. But there’s this large population of Americans suffering from chronic disease, and current devices aren’t addressing what their needs are.”

In some cases of chronic pain — which the most recent survey by the National Institute of Health says affects nearly 50 million Americans — addressing patient needs also can reduce medication use. In clinical trials, about two-thirds of participants reduced their medication use when using Quell, which McGillin said makes Quell a versatile treatment, potentially replacing medication in some cases, though he stressed that patients should consult their doctors on those matters.

“Looking at some of the big problems to be solved, chronic pain ranks up there. I think $50 billion [is] spent on the treatment of chronic pain, yet [more than] half the people are saying their pain isn’t adequately controlled. So we’re new as a technology, new as a brand, and we’re trying to both build the awareness and make Quell available to the people it’ll help,” he said.



Chrono Therapeutics

For years, the nicotine patch has been the most recognizable option to help people quit smoking, but Chrono Therapeutics’ smoking cessation solution is looking to give the nicotine patch a run for its money.

Chrono currently is developing a smoking cessation device featuring a wearable pod that acts as a nicotine delivery system. The pod will deliver nicotine to users based on when smokers have their strongest cravings. Users can even enter their typical wake-up time into pod to ensure that it begins dispensing nicotine about 90 minutes before the user wakes up, curbing their urge for a cigarette in the morning.

Chrono plans to file for FDA approval and has been working on clinical trials. Recently, the company conducted a small test to see how the device impacts nicotine cravings. Looking at 24 smokers, the test found a statistically significant reduction in cravings among the group receiving nicotine when compared with the placebo group.

“That was very encouraging to us because we had been told going into this trial that with such a small sample size of just 24 people — and also for just a 30-hour test — we might not see differences between the drug and the placebo, and the cravings might be essentially the same,” Chrono Therapeutics VP product management and marketing Jenny Hapgood said. “And yet, we did see statistically significant and clinically meaningful differences, which is giving us strong indicators that our product is more effective at helping people reduce their nicotine cravings.”

Going hand in hand with the nicotine delivery is the device’s accompanying coaching app, which looks to tackle the second challenge facing smokers — behavioral changes. The app, which Chrono hopes to have ready for user beta-testing in June, will use data collected by the pod to customize coaching and proactively remind users to power through cravings and stay on track. The app development is being partially funded by Chrono’s second Fast Tack Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Cancer Institute.

For the Chrono team, the smoking cessation solution — whose consumer launch is anticipated in 2018 assuming regulatory approval and development are on track — also is providing a service that it believes wearables should.

“We think it’s all about this convergence where you have to have personalized therapy; you need to leverage the user’s data to impact the way that therapy works, and you need to have the digital health component because behavior change is always part of the story — whether it’s changing an addictive behavior or just being compliant with the clinical regimen you’ve been assigned,” Hapgood said. “We don’t think wearables anymore should just be tracking your data; something needs to happen. From that data, it needs to impact the therapy rather than just stop at awareness building.”



SmartDose

One of West Pharmaceutical Services’ areas of expertise is in self-injection technology, which includes the SelfDose self-injector system and the ConfiDose auto-injector system. But as medication gets more sophisticated, particularly in the case of biologic drugs, West is looking to make drug delivery more sophisticated, as well. The SmartDose electronic wearable injector is a delivery system designed to improve the patient experience and encourage medication adherence. The company is anticipating a commercial launch for SmartDose with one strategic customer later