Internationale Partnersuche

Forschung & Entwicklung Anfrage

EUREKA/Eurostars: pain killer drug specialists sought to use a new ICT technology for the empowered management of chronic pain treatment

Country of Origin: Spain
Reference Number: RDES20170720001
Publication Date: 24 July 2017

Summary

A spanish SME that works on self-management and monitoring medical tools  is looking to present a Eurostars project. They look for specialists in pain killer drugs used to treat chronic pain, to use ICT technology to help patients automatically track dosage of pain relievers in order to facilitate chronic pain self-management as well as supervision by doctors to avoid abuse and detect variability in the patient circumstances. The plan is to apply to the Eurostars 2018 first call (March 2018).

Description

Chronic pain, considered as a disease in itself, is commonly treated by the use of opioids which have been proved to provide patients with much needed relief. However, the management of those pain killer-based treatments is quite complex due to the lack of confidence in both patients and physicians as well as the risk of causing patients to become addicted to them. At the same time, there is a need for more self-management and monitoring tools. 

A  Spanish start-up, with experience in European projects and working on electronic medical devices (especially self-management and monitoring medical tools) is planning to submit a Eureka-Eurostar project to fill these gaps. Potential project activities include:



•	Minimization of the number of dependence cases and risky behaviour caused by the opioids used to treat chronic pain."

  •	Facilitation of the self-management of the treatment by patients suffering from chronic pain while minimizing their concern with regard to the use of opioids.

•	Increasing the life wellbeing of chronic pain patients.

•	Tools to make physicians increase their confidence when prescribing pain relievers to chronic pain patients.

•	Strict supervision of chronic pain treatment to detect potential addiction as well as an indicator of adverse events in the patient medical situation.



Thus the main objective of the project will be to develop a method for improving pain relief management while reducing the likelihood of addiction and other adverse events when opioids are selected for therapy and favouring self-management and safely medical prescription. The activities envisioned for the project are described below:



- Identification of critical variables to be monitored through the device.

- Identification of most commonly prescribed pain killers.

- Identification and adaptation of the device, the permitted ranges of dosage and conservation conditions depending on the substance to be used.

-Design a development of technology for data storage and processing, along with an optimum design of ergonomic characteristics of the hardware with minimum dimensions and weight and optimum integration with the opioids inhalers/sprays.

- Development of data management tools for patients and doctors.

- Data protection and privacy management.

- IPR management.

- Certifications compliance (i.e. CE marking and FDA (Food and Drug Administration) certificate).

- Pilot performance with a selected group of patients affected with chronic pain and their corresponding caregivers.

- Results dissemination and training activities devoted to a) engaging both patients and caregivers to have confidence in opioid-based treatments and b) implementing the treatment monitoring system.



The spanish SME is looking for institutions that have experience with the treatment of chronic pain, whether oncological or otherwise (neuromuscular, for example). Specially hospitals or clinics that are in contact with patients and really know, first hand, what are the critical parameters to control, improvements in treatment, etc. These same institutions could directly facilitate the testing with patients, when in direct contact with them. 

Depending on the national requirements for Eurostar an SME may have to be also a partner. Subsequently, the collaboration agreement to include a SME may vary in some countries.



The call deadline is March 2018. EOI deadline is January 2018, but the company will evaluate fist those coming before January 2018.

Advantages and Innovations

The product development envisioned for this project will consist of a small electronic device easily plugged in the most commonly inhalators/nasal sprays used to relieve the chronic pain caused by all sort of diseases through the use of pain killers (mainly opioids). This device will allow the tracking of dosage information (periodicity) and environmental conditions as a mean to determine whether the medicine may be corrupted or not. It will send the information via Bluetooth to a device with a pre-installed app, keeping data in the Cloud for data warehouse and synchronization with multiple devices. The app will help patients and their doctors and caregivers managing the disease along time, monitoring the inhaler/spray use in real time. Implementation of this technology on chronic pain treatments will provide:



 1) Optimal treatment monitoring and statistical medication control. It will also present functions to facilitate a patient-decision on the dosage level and timing according to the pain level and doctor recommendations thus ensuring the efficiency of the treatment in each specific patient through its self-management. Data recorded will also help to monitor and evaluate the evolution of the disease in the patients.



2) System alert will act upon permitted ranges previously established upon the patient evaluation, and the data recording will help doctors to revise the prescribed treatment, with the goal of reducing the possible opioids abuse cases.



3) Temperature and moisture sensors to ensure drugs correct conservation. Possibility of implementing telemedicine system where physicians can monitor their patients more effectively as dependence cases and/or alterations in the patient state.



4) Decision support system using patient data to generate case-specific advice.

Stage Of Development

Proposal under development

Stage Of Development Comment

To be submitted in the First call of Eurostar in 2018 (March 2018)

Requested partner

Specialists with broad experience and knowledge of pain killer drugs (research, treatment, management, etc.) used to treat chronic pain.  The spanish partner is looking mainly, but not exclusively, for hospitals or clinic.



They will specially contribute to the selection of the critical variables to be monitored. The device is intended to be integrated in inhalers/sprays used for the administration of a wide range of substances, paying special attention on those most commonly prescribed. On the other hand, it will be necessary to establish the limit range within the uptake of the pain killers that will be permitted when using the integrated technology, as well as the variable to be measured to ensure the proper conservation (temperature), which will depend on the specific substance.



Finally, they intend to test the device with chronic pain patients and their caregivers. They will be deeply involved along the whole project and provide feedback for improving the monitoring system performance.