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Facilitating Drug Delivery

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Noble showcased the first-ever error correction device for patients to simulate drug delivery at this year's Drug Delivery Partnerships show. 

To learn more about the company, this new product and the challenges faced by patients self-administering drugs we spoke to Jeff Baker, CEO of Noble. 

AB: Can you please tell me a little about Noble?

Jeff Baker (JB): Noble® is an award-winning multisensory product development company serving the world's leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology brands. We work closely with device, commercialization and brand teams to develop educational tools and device training solutions to better the patient experience.

AB: Can you tell me about the product you showcased at Drug Delivery Partnerships?

JB: We showcased our error correcting multisensory device trainer. Although biologics and injections that require self-administration have a higher efficacy rate, the injection process is more complex for the patient, which leads to increased patient anxiety. The error correction injection training device has the ability to detect errors, notify users of errors and guide them to correct errors, changing the way patients learn and adhere to drug treatment programs. Spoken English and Spanish auditory instructions combined with tactile features and sensors that detect patient errors walk the patient through a simulation of an injection. If the patient makes an error, such as wet injection due to an early release, the device alerts the patient and walks them through the correction process and will not proceed until the correction is made. 

AB: How difficult a challenge is it to ensure that patients correctly self-administer and how do error correction device training pens assist in this?

JB: In addition to teaching the patient how to learn (mostly rational) a complex drug-delivery system, there is the challenge of patient compliance (mostly emotional). To increase compliance, it is important to understand the unique challenges a patient encounters during the treatment cycle. Disease management and self-administration are complex behaviors that are largely influenced by a patient’s access to relevant and reoccurring information at multiple touch points during their treatment. The human factors, which might affect the patient’s physical, cognitive, and adherence behaviors include: 

1. Psychological and emotional impact of diagnosis, combined with new medical terminology and jargon leading to a patient’s inability to retain and recall information. 

2. Range of motion, joint and dexterity limitations associated with specific therapeutic categories and aging. 

3. Fear and anxiety associated with self-injecting that often leads to avoidance behaviors.

4. Social needs of the patient, including family and medical support systems. 

5. Lack of experience and education with drug delivery devices leading to onboarding challenges.

Error correction provides patients a step-by-step practice tool. Incorporating multisensory features into training with the error correction device training pen increases the retention and recall of the message at the patient and healthcare practitioner level, leading to brand preference and an improved patient journey. 

AB: What has driven the need for patients to self-administer and manage drug treatment programs? Is this trend expected to continue?

JB: Self-administration of drugs has a long history, but it was mostly oral drugs.  The history of patients self-administering parenteral drugs (injectables) and respiratory drugs (inhalers) is fairly recent (diabetes and inhaler have been around awhile. They are however, growing rapidly).  Improved drug and device training has made self-administration safer and more effective. Pharma companies are increasingly realizing the importance of training, and how training affects the success of a market launch of a drug.  What we call “patient on-boarding.” This trend is likely to continue as submissions of Biologic Licenses Applications (BLA) outnumber those of new chemical entities. In 2010, the global biologics market was valued at an estimated $149 billion and is expected to reach $239 billion by 2015.1

1. BCC Research 

Jeff Baker was speaking to Ashley Board, Managing Editor for Technology Networks. You can find Ashley on  and follow Technology Networks on Twitter.